You Are The Only Ones
by Iridescent Bellisle Cullen
Summary: Bella Swan has had a tough life so far. Her mother Renée is abusive and negligent, and her father Charlie is barely present in her life. She has no friends either. Worse of all, no one had ever treated her with sincerity. No one except Carlisle Cullen and his children. It was because of them that Bella had experienced kindness...and found out how it truly felt to be loved.
1. We Meet Again

The first chapter is loosely based on part of a Drew Malino chat video I saw. Rated M for language, abuse, lemons. Enjoy!

**Bella's POV**

_September 1, 2005  
_

"Damn!" I fumed as I tripped over the fan's cord in the living room. I crashed to the floor with a thud. The impact caused a glass cup to fall onto the floor, where it shattered into a million pieces. It was one of my mother's-her name is Renée-favorite cups too. It was part of a set that had belonged to her mother, my Grandma Marie, who died before I was born. I was going to be in huge trouble!

I had to sweep away the mess before Mom came downstairs. Unfortunately, she had already heard the glass breaking. I was just leaving the room when she appeared with a deep scowl on her face. Shit!

"What the hell happened?" she demanded, peering over my shoulder. "How did...how did my cup break?!"

Putting distance between me and her, I backed up warily. "I fell, and..." I replied.

Mom glared at me in rage and frustration. "You _fell_?! You are always falling, you clumsy little bitch! I supposed that you knocked the cup over as you did, didn't you?" She slapped me so hard that I was abruptly staring at the clock behind me.

I winced. "No, Mom! It broke after I fell. It slid off of the table," I explained.

"Whatever, Bella! The damage is done. Just clean this shit up and get out of my sight!" she yelled. She shoved me before going back upstairs.

I gloomily headed for the kitchen to retrieve the broom and dustpan.

As you could see, you have probably guessed that me and my mother were not on the best of terms. And you have guessed right.

My mother did not love me, and reminded me of it every other day for almost eighteen years. It was clear that she did not want me too, and never had. I didn't know why she chose to bring me with her to Phoenix, Arizona after she had divorced my father since she didn't.

We had been living here in Phoenix since I was three months old. Before that, we lived with my father Charlie in Forks, Washington. I only visited him for a few weeks every August because of legal issues. Even then, I rarely saw him. He was the Chief of Police, so he was very busy, especially during the summer. There was a lot of crime in Forks, Port Angeles, and Seattle at that time. So, before going to the police station, he would leave me with friends from town until he was finished working.

It was because of this that Charlie and I never had much of a chance to create any type of relationship. I did not even know if he loved me, or if I loved him.

At least staying with Charlie wasn't as bad as living with Mom. She usually ignored me and left me to myself. If she wasn't doing that, then she was screaming at me. It could be for any number of reasons. It may have been because she wanted to tell me of how much she hated me. That she didn't want me. That she did not know why she didn't ship me off to Charlie's and grant him permanent custody of me. If she wasn't complaining about that, then she was blowing her top over my clumsiness. But with her being erratic and harebrained, and my father being rather absentminded, I was predestined to be clumsy.

She was abusive too, but not physically. At least, not that much. She would mostly slap or shove me if she were angry enough. When I grew taller, there were times where she actually punched me! However, she never punched me in the face. But it was really the verbal and psychological abuse that I have to put up with. Of course, that was worst. I would rather that she had hit me.

It was just as well that I had learned to cook and pay the bills by the time I was eleven. Otherwise, we would have starved to death. Mom didn't really know how to cook, and she often forgot when the bills had to be sent. I had a job too, and was glad that I did. Otherwise, I would have had to deal with Mom more often than I would have wanted to after school.

I could not understand why Mom didn't love or want me. And no matter how hard I tried to, I could never do anything to please her. Or to get her to love me. Even if I gave her something that she liked, she would just wave me away dismissively.

Through it all, I had mostly lived a lonely, depressing life. Mom neglected me, and Dad never paid much attention to me. I had never had any friends either, in school or out of it. My clumsiness and awkwardness was not very appealing, so people my age tended to avoid me. I could never remember a time when anyone had truly been nice to me.

Except once, when I was seven years old. And I would never forget that day.

_Flashback_

_Mom and I were visiting one of her friends named Juliet, who had moved to Vancouver, Canada. Juliet talked to Mom for a while, then Mom went to take a tour of the city._

_Vancouver was gigantic. There were so many things to see and to look at that I would need more eyes to take everything in. There were also a lot of people, just like there were in Phoenix._

_As Mom and I were strolling along a busy street, I happened to notice a brown teddy bear on display in a toy store window. It was large, but small enough to put in the book bag that I was carrying. Next to that store was a candy shop. There were multicolored lollipops and jawbreakers and chocolate and so many other sweets that it would take days to name them all!  
_

_I tugged Mom's hand. "Mommy! Mommy! Look at that teddy bear! And look at all of the candy! Can I have the bear and some candy? Pretty please?" I begged._

_"No!" she said coldly. "Now leave me alone, you little brat!" _

_"But Mo-om...!" I whined. She was being so unfair, as usual!  
_

_"Shut up! Just shut up! I have had enough of your complaining! Do you want me to slap you?" _

_I bowed my head and grew quiet. Tears pricked my eyes as we kept walking. She hardly ever let me have anything that I wanted._

_Moments later, she brought us a lunch from a street vendor. Once we had finished eating, Mom headed into a clothes shop to buy a few things. She made me sit on a bench while she went to look over the jeans.  
_

_I laid my head in my palm and stared at the people passing by me. I was bored out of my mind. I wished that I was at that toy store. Or at the candy shop. I didn't see how shopping for clothes could be enjoyable._

_"Psst. Little girl," a gentle voice belonging to a man whispered. It sounded like it belonged to an angel._

_I ignored it, not thinking that it was speaking to me. _

_"Little girl on the bench," the voice hissed._

_Frowning, I turned to see a blonde-haired man standing next to a clothes rack. Gosh, he was handsome! He looked better than any movie star I've ever seen! And he had gold eyes too! How weird. I had never seen anybody with eyes that color. I found myself staring at him in awe.  
_

_The man smiled at me. "Hi there, cutie," he greeted._

_I reddened. No one had ever called me that before. "Uh...hi," I mumbled._

_He glanced to his left, then knelt beside me. "Here, sweetheart. I couldn't help but notice that you really wanted them."_

_To my surprise, he handed me the teddy bear that was in the toy store window! He had also given me a bag of sweets from that shop! In it was cotton candy, multicolored lollipops, white and dark chocolate, sour balls, caramel squares, and Laffy Taffies.  
_

_I looked to see where Mom was. She was still busy picking out clothes. I cautiously took the bear and the candy from him because I knew that I wasn't suppose to accept anything from strangers. But for some reason, I knew that this man wouldn't hurt me or anything. I didn't know why I knew it, though.  
_

_"Thanks. But why are you giving them to me?" I inquired, putting everything in my backpack. "You don't even know who I am."  
_

_"I am giving it to you because I can tell that you are a good girl. You deserve every wonderful thing that could be given to someone." _

_This man was too nice! "Oh. Well...thank you again. This is the nicest thing that anybody has ever done for me. I'm Bella."_

_He shook my hand. "Pleased to meet you, Bella. I am glad to be of service. My name is Carlisle."_

_Well, that was an odd name, but I liked it. It sounded like a song. "Pleased to meet you too. I think you should leave now. My mom would be mad if she sees me talking to someone that I don't know."_

_"I understand what you mean. Don't waste your candy too quickly. Good-bye, Bella."_

_"I won't. Bye-bye, Carlisle."_

_He left with a wave.  
_

_End of Flashback_

It had been ten years since then, but the memory of it had never faded away. I managed to prevent Mom from finding out that I had the teddy bear and the candy. I ate the candy when I had the chance to, but I kept the wrappers in a suitcase that I used for traveling. I even had the teddy bear after all this time. When Mom was asleep, I would take them out for a while, just to look at them and hug the bear. They were my relics of Carlisle's kindness.

I often wondered about Carlisle over the years. Wondered where he was, and if he was doing all right. I tried to imagine what his life would be like. He was a nice, drop-dead gorgeous man, so he likely had a wife. Perhaps he had children too, and lived in a nice house with front and back yards that were surrounded by a white picket fence. They probably loved each other very much.

I wished that I had that kind of life...

"_Bella_!" Mom shouted, jerking me out of my thoughts by punching me on the arm. It became numb within seconds. "Why the hell are you standing there daydreaming? Clean up that mess like I told you to! If I step on any of that glass, you don't want to know what I'll do!"

"Ouch! Okay, Mom, I'm sorry," I groaned.

She frowned at me in disgust, as if I were a puddle of vomit. "Yeah, you'd better be. Go on!"

With a sigh, I grabbed the broom and dustpan. Then I went to the living room and swept the floor, my mind still on Carlisle.

(A few days later-September 6th)

I was in my bedroom, sitting in front of my computer. It was quiet for once; Mom was taking a nap. I was glad that I didn't have to put up with her at the moment.

I wasn't really doing much, just talking to various people in a chat room. Truthfully, I wasn't allowed to do that. Mom said that I could end up in some of form of trouble, or be kidnapped. I didn't know why she cared if I did. She would probably be happy to get rid of me.

Not many people were online at this time of day, so the chat room was nearly empty. Half of the people who wanted to talk to me were men that were phishing for young women. I mostly ignored them and spoke to the girls. Some of them were interested in the same things that I was, and some were not.

I was just in the middle of a conversation when a Private Messaging box appeared on my screen.

_Hello, Bellissima298. Would you like to have a private webcam chat with me?_ someone named CarlC87 asked.

CarlC87...ha, it made me think of Carlisle. Of course, I knew that it wasn't him. He didn't seem like the type that went into chat rooms. Still, this guy might be cute.

I listened to make sure that Mom had not awakened, then sent a reply.

_Yeah, I guess so. As long as you don't try to flirt with me,_ I typed.

_lol No, I am not planning to do that. I am here to talk, not to flirt-CarlC87_

_Okay, then. I'm turning my webcam on now._

_All right. So am I._

I promptly switched on my camera. Then I waited until he appeared on my screen.

Once he did, I eyed him closely. This man did not look like a pervert. In fact, he was very handsome! He had golden-blonde hair and amber eyes...

Amber eyes?!

I froze.

No.

It couldn't be! It couldn't be him!

But it was.

I gaped at the man in stunned disbelief.

It was him...it was _Carlisle_. He was right before me, looking as if he hadn't aged a day at all.

**Carlisle's POV**

The girl-Bellissima298-stared at me for a long time, which began to make me uncomfortable. I knew that it was because she thought that I were good-looking, as people thought that I was.

If she knew what I was, she wouldn't be ogling me. She would have left the site faster than lightning.

I had been relaxing in my office when I had decided to enter the chat room. There was not much to do. I worked in a hospital, but I had the day off. My paperwork had been completed hours ago, and my children were out hunting.

I decided to kill time by chatting with a few people. However, none of them had caught my attention but her-Bellissima298. Her name was similar to a little girl's that I had briefly spoken to years ago.

And what a poor little soul she was too...

The young lady suddenly gasped, and my attention was redirected to her. I scowled at her in concern. From her expression, it was apparent that something may have been wrong.

"What is the matter?" I queried.

She lowered her hand, which had been covering her mouth. "Oh my God...oh my God! Carlisle?! Is that _you_?!" she demanded in astonishment.

My jaw dropped.

How did...how did she know my name?! I did not recall meeting her in my entire life. Well, her chocolate-brown eyes looked familiar. Other than that, I did not recognize her.

It took several minutes for me to find my voice. "Er...yes, I am Carlisle. But how do you know? Have we met?" I inquired, my voice full of wonder.

"Yes...we've met ten years ago in Vancouver. I was seven at the time, though...you probably don't remember me," she responded.

Narrowing my eyes, I shook my head. "No, I am afraid that I don't."

The girl slumped, but then her eyes brightened. "Hold on a minute. You might know who I am after I show you something. Do you mind if I get it?"

"Of course not."

She smiled a rather beautiful smile and disappeared from view. I heard a door opening and what sounded like rustling paper.

A minute later, she came back. "You gave me this when I was clothes shopping with my mom. You saw that I wanted them and bought them for me," she remarked.

Then she held up a stuffed teddy bear and various candy wrappers.

I leaned forward, my eyes growing wide. Suddenly, I _did_ remember her. I remembered her quite clearly.

She was the little girl that I had met during a trip in Canada. The girl who desired the candy and the teddy bear. The girl who was being treated unfairly by her mother.

The girl who I thought looked so starved, but not for food.

For reasons that I was not able to explain, I could see that she was starving for kindness. For affection. For love. It seemed as if no one had ever treated her nicely.

Right then and there, I decided to buy what she wanted to have. I had no idea what drove me to do it. However, I had the feeling that I would regret it deeply if I hadn't.

I went to the toy store to get the bear, then to the candy shop to purchase a bag of sweets. After that, I met her in the clothes shop and gave them to her.

With amazement crashing through me, I turned to the girl. "B-Bella?" I murmured.

**Bella's POV**

I wanted to jump for joy!

He knew who I was!

"Yes, I'm Bella! You do remember me!" I exclaimed.

A grin slowly spread across his face. "I never did forget about you. I suppose it was because I had felt so sorry for you that you stuck in my memory. But...you remember _me_, after all this time?! It has been more than ten years!"

I nodded, beaming brightly. "You look the same as you did when we had first met."

Carlisle ran his fingers through his hair. "I understand that, but it was no wonder that I couldn't recognize you. How old are you now, Bella?"

"I'll be eighteen on the thirteenth."

"Mmm, I see. You have grown into quite a beautiful young woman."

It felt as if my cheeks were blistering. "Thank you," I said in a low voice.

He smiled at me. "So...how is it that you remember me? We had not talked long enough to have much of an impression on each other that day."

"Well, maybe not. But I could never forget you, or that you bought the bear and candy for me. That was the nicest thing that anyone had ever done for me."

Carlisle rose his eyebrows in surprise. "Really?" he asked with interest.

"Yeah," I admitted. I decided to change the subject. "So...do you still live in Vancouver?"

He shook his head. "No, I had never lived in Canada. I was only on a small trip there."

"Oh. Well, where do you live?"

"I live outside of a small town in Washington called Forks."

He had to be lying! "No way! Really?! _Forks_?!"

Carlisle chuckled. "It is a rather funny name for a town, isn't it?"

"No, you don't understand. I was born in Forks! But when my mom divorced my dad, she took me with her to Arizona," I remarked.

"You have to be joking!" he exclaimed.

"I'm not! But that's so cool that you live there. How long have you been in Forks?"

He leaned back. "For a little more than a year. I had a job opportunity at the hospital in town, where I work as a doctor."

I cocked my head to the side. "Whoa. I would never have guessed that you were one. Then again, you are a very generous and helpful person."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Are you married? Do you have children?"

"Yes, I have five whom I had adopted. They are your age, or close to it. But I am divorced. The marriage did not work out."

Why would anyone divorce him?! He was too kind and too sweet to be divorced!

"Oh. That's too bad," I stated.

Carlisle waved his hand. "Do not worry about it. It was for the best."

Just then, I heard a bed creaking, followed by a yawn.

I turned to him. "My mom's awake. I gotta go...she wouldn't like it if she caught me speaking to you in this chat room," I hissed.

He smiled. "I know what you mean. Well, it was a pleasure to see you again, Bella. Perhaps we can talk again sometime?" he questioned.

"Sure, when I can manage to. It was great to see you too, Carlisle. Good-bye."

"Good-bye, dear."

I hastily shut my own camera off and made to exit the chat room. Before I could, however, the door opened with a CRASH.

"WHAT THE...WHAT THE _FUCK_ ARE YOU DOING, GIRL?!" Mom bellowed.

Oh, man! I was in huge trouble again!

(A/N: **PLEASE REVIEW!** Did I start off good? Let me know what you think, please!)


	2. At Last! I'm Outta This Bitch!

**Bella's POV**

Very slowly, I turned to face Mom, but kept silent.

Her eyes were blazing with fury. "ANSWER ME!" she ordered in an earsplitting voice, stomping her foot. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING IN THAT CHAT ROOM?!"

I swallowed thickly. "Just talking to some girls," I replied.

"LYING BITCH! I KNOW THAT YOU WERE TALKING TO MEN ON THERE! I KNOW, BITCH!" she shouted.

"Mom! I wasn't!" I lied.

"_Yes, you were! I heard you! And I hope that you didn't tell them too much information about you!__ I don't feel like dealing with any unnecessary trouble! And I don't have time to be asking the police to find you because you were kidnapped!"_

"I don't know why you would care if I did. You don't give a damn about me. You wouldn't have called them anyway because you would want me to stay gone," I remarked before I could stop myself.

Mom's eyes narrowed, and I swore that I saw her pupils dilate. "_What_ did you say?" she questioned in a low, deadly voice. "_WHAT_ DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME?!" she yelled, startling me.

She lunged at me with her teeth bared. I tried to move away, but I was not quick enough. The next thing I knew, I was flying out of my chair and onto the floor.

"BITCH! UNGRATEFUL SLUT! I WILL FUCK YOU UP!" Her fists sailed into me. I blocked her punches with my arm, but it didn't work for long. After a minute, I couldn't even lift them anymore because they were hurting so badly.

Suddenly, I snapped. I couldn't take it anymore. I was tired of her disrespecting me, abusing me. I had had _enough_!

I grabbed Mom's arm as she came in with another punch and sent my fist crashing into her cheek. This distracted her long enough for me to push her onto my desk. Her head smacked against the wood.

Mom was frozen. She gaped at me with wide eyes. I stared back at her, feeling as thunderstruck as she looked.

When she had got over her astonishment, she scowled and bolted up. "_I will kill you_...I WILL _KILL YOU_!" She dove for me again.

I turned and ran out of the door. Mom followed after me in a wild, rabid rage. Froth and saliva bubbled onto the corners of her lips. That bitch was truly crazy!

I had just made it down the stairs when she caught up to me. Her fist crashed into my shoulder. Several punches to the stomach caused me double over. This gave Mom the chance to snatch me up by the neck and throw me onto the banisters.

"I'll fucking kill you!" she repeated, tying my wrists onto them (the banisters) with her belt. She disappeared for a second, then came back with another one. After that, she pulled down my jeans.

CRACK! CRACK!

"AHH!" I cried out as the belt landed on my ass. The searing pain caused my knees to buckle.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

"Mom, please!" I sobbed. "Please stop! I'm sorry for what I did!"

"You _really_ will be after I am done with you, you bitch!" CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

"OWWW!" I wept. Dear God, please make her stop. Please make her stop doing this to me.

When she finally did, she untied me before dragging me up to my room. Once we were in there, she shoved me onto the wall. The impact caused me to yell in pain. "YOU'RE GETTING OUT OF MY FUCKING HOUSE! I'M NOT GOING TO PUT UP YOUR SHIT ANYMORE!"

I could only watch Mom as opened my drawers and started tossing clothes out of them.

"Out of here...thinking that she can speak to me like that...I don't _think_ so...she has lost her fucking mind...!" she muttered to herself. Then she glared at me. "As soon as I get my money together for a plane ticket, you are _out._ Start packing right now. You will not spend another 24 hours in my house! You're going to live with your father, and I'll be only too happy to be rid of you!"

With that, she left the room, slamming the door.

Grimacing in pain, I stood up and collected my things. I did not really want to leave Phoenix, in spite of the fact that I loathed living with Mom. I barely knew anyone in Forks except for Charlie and a couple of his friends. And being the new kid in school...I had no idea of how I would be able to endure it. No one was going to like me. Nobody ever did. The people my age generally thought that I was weird. However, I couldn't be like everyone else. I did not relate to anyone that I knew at all.

As I continued to pack, I noticed that bruises were forming on my arms and stomach. This was the worse thing that Mom had ever done to me. The most she had ever done was punch me. But she had never beaten or whipped me. Not like this.

I sat down on my bed and wept. _Why did my mom hate me? Why didn't she care for me?_ I asked myself over and over. If she loved me, I wouldn't be going through any of this.

It took a while for me to calm down. Once I had, I folded my clothes and put them into two different suitcases. I also packed my laptop and webcam.

When I left the room to go to the bathroom, I heard Mom talking.

"...Charlie, I am sending Bella to Forks to live with you...What do you mean _why_? Because I need my space for right now, that's why! Besides, Bella will learn to be more independent while living with you...What are you quiet for? Will you let her stay with you?...I don't give a fuck if you think that I don't make any sense, or that I'm doing this on short notice!...I can talk to you in any way that I please...So are you going to take her in or _what_?..._Good_...I will book the 11a.m. flight for her, then. She should arrive in Seattle by 1:15, 1:30 in your time zone...Fine...Bye..." She slammed her cell phone shut and muttered to herself.

I stepped into the bathroom and locked the door. I treated my bruises and wrapped my abdomen with adhesive gauze. Then I headed back to my room.

Mom was waiting there for me. "I am taking you to the airport tomorrow. I already booked your flight and printed your ticket for you, so it won't take too long for you to get on your plane. Of course, I don't know why I even bothered to do it. I should have made you pay for it yourself for the way that you treated me earlier. Anyway, your flight will be at 11:00 tomorrow morning. You will be in Seattle by 1:15 or 1:30 Pacific Standard Time. Charlie will be waiting for you.

"You will be going to school in Forks, so I'll have your school fax them your transfer papers. They should have them by tomorrow or the day after. You will be in Forks to stay, or until you decide to live somewhere else, so don't come back here. I never want to see you again. You are no longer welcome in my house. Do you understand me?" she inquired in hard voice.

Gazing at her pleadingly, I whispered, "Mom...why don't love me? Why don't you want me?"

She crossed her arms. "You want to know? I'll tell you. It's because I never wanted a baby at the age that I was. I was 18, barely older than you. I wanted me and your father to wait to have children. I wanted to live my life while I was still young, but _no_! He had to fuck me and get me pregnant, so I had no choice but to take care of you! _Your fucking dad ruined my life! Both of you did! I wish that I had put you up for adoption and got on with my life! I hate you! You and your father!_" she abruptly bellowed.

Needless to say, I was heartbroken. I couldn't prevent the tears from welling in my eyes. Still, I could not help but wish that she had put me up for adoption too. It would have saved me from her constant abuse. This made me glad that I wouldn't live with her anymore.

"Don't start crying, you worthless whore! I should have told you that long ago. Just go to bed or something. You make me sick!"

Mom stormed out of the room, plowing into me as she did.

I laid down and buried my face in my arms. She hated me. She hated me for something that wasn't even my fault. I didn't understand it.

I wished that I didn't care about it. That Mom's words meant nothing to me. However, I could not help but care. All I ever wanted was for her to care about me...for her to love me. We would probably have been the best of friends if she did.

The tears in my eyes started to roll down my cheeks, and I was sobbing before I knew it. I had to make sure that Mom wouldn't hear me. If she did, she would likely give me another thrashing just because I irritated her.

As I fell asleep, I thought of something that made me happy about moving, other than the fact that I was leaving Mom.

Carlisle lived just outside of Forks. Perhaps I will see him soon. That would be wonderful because at least there would be someone I knew there that I liked. He seemed to like me too, but I did not want to go that far just yet. I wouldn't be surprised if he came to believe that I was odd.

Still, it would be nice if we became friends. He would be the first that I ever had.

XXX

I woke up very early the next morning. My arms ached, so taking a shower was difficult. I had my breakfast and stayed in my room until it was time to leave. It was better that way. I knew that Mom was still upset about the day before. My presence alone would have given her a reason to lash out at me.

Before leaving, I put on a jacket even though it was hot outside. I didn't wish for anyone to see my bruises.

The trip to the airport was not long. Mom helped me take my things out of the car after pulling up in front of the terminal.

After taking my backpack and ticket from her, she closed the trunk.

"Do you have everything?" Mom demanded with impatience.

I nodded mutely.

"Good. Well...bye."

"Bye."

With a huff, Mom stepped into her car and drove away. It was not until a couple of months later that I would find out that that would be the last time that I would see her in my life. I grabbed my suitcases and entered the terminal.

I had my suitcases and book bag scanned at a security checkpoint, then made my way to Gate 1375. I sat down in the waiting area, since my flight wouldn't be here for another half hour. I took out one of my novels and began to read it to kill time.

Finally, I heard an announcement over the intercom saying that the plane had arrived. I put my things away, then stood in line.

Minutes later, I was boarding the plane. Once everybody was sitting down, the flight attendant went over the usual rules. We put on our seat belts and the airplane rumbled as it started up.

It backed away from the terminal and coasted onto the runway. Then it gained speed, and the next thing I knew, it was in the air.

Even though I was still aching, I couldn't help but smile. I was leaving Phoenix, and my mom. And I would never have to go back again.

I was outta this bitch!

**Carlisle's POV**

I was in the living room with my children when I saw my daughter Alice freeze in her seat. Her eyes grew blank.

"Alice? What is it, darlin'?" my son Jasper, who was also her soul mate, queried.

Perhaps I should explain what was going on. You see, Alice was having a vision of the future. She always has one when somebody makes a decision that will involve me or my family in some way. However, her visions were subjective. If the person changed their decision, then their future would.

I must tell you why I called Jasper her soul mate also. It was a term that vampires used to call their predestined partners or true other halves.

Yes, my family and I were vampires. We were not like the vampires that people spread myths about, though. We did not sleep at all or sleep in coffins. We did not die in sunlight, either. In fact, our skin would sparkle as if diamonds were embedded into it. If someone were to take a picture of us, we would appear in it.

Unlike other vampires, we did not drink human blood. My family and I called ourselves "vegetarians" because we drank the blood of animals. That was why our eyes were gold or amber. If we drank human blood, our eyes would be red.

We were also _incredibly_ fast and strong. For example, we could hold a van over our heads while running. However, no one would see this because we would be nothing more than a blur to them.

Anyway, let us return to the present.

Alice came back to earth with a bright smile. "Dad, she's coming! She coming to Forks!" she squealed in excitement.

I frowned in confusion. "Who?" I inquired, thinking that she meant Esme, my ex-wife.

"The girl that you were chatting with on the computer yesterday! Bella!" she replied.

"Bella?" I was shocked, to say the least. "But why is she coming here?"

"She is coming to Forks to live with her father, who is Chief Charlie Swan."

"Bella is _Chief Swan's_ daughter?"

I knew that Chief Swan had a daughter, but I never heard him say her name. But I doubted that I would have known that it was Bella even if he had.

Alice nodded. "Yes. She will be here in a few hours."

"Er...okay. But why are you making such a fuss about her?"

"Because she is someone important to us."

I blinked in confusion. "She is important to us? How?"

With a grin, she said the last thing that I would have expected her to say.

"Because she is your soul mate, and our bond mother!"

My jaw dropped. I could only stare at her blankly.

Bella Swan was my soul mate?!

And my children's bond mother?!

She could not have been serious! This _had_ to be a joke! There was no way in hell that this could be true! After divorcing Esme, I did not believe that love would find me again for quite a long time.

Besides, Bella was only seventeen. Of course, she wouldn't be for long. Edward, one of my other sons, was changed her age, give or take several months. Rosalie was frozen at the age of eighteen, Alice and Jasper at nineteen, and Emmett at twenty. How would they feel about having a mother that was younger than them...except for Edward?

"Are you kidding me?" I demanded.

Alice shook her head. "No, Carlisle. I wouldn't lie to you about something like this," she pointed out earnestly. "Besides, I know that you must have felt some kind of attraction to her when you spoke to her the other day."

"Well...I _did_ think that she was very beautiful, sweet and interesting. I still do, of course," I admitted.

My other daughter Rosalie turned to her. "But...how do you know this?" she questioned.

"I've seen it," Alice responded in a "duh" voice.

And I could tell then that she was not lying. I could feel myself smiling.

It was a good thing that I was Bella's mate. If I was right about the fact that she was starving for kindness, love and affection, then I would have no problem in showering her with any of them. She deserved to be cared for and loved, a sweet girl like her.

Emmett, Rosalie's mate, beamed like a pair of headlights. "_Awe_some! We're going to have a new mommy!"

Edward grinned. "Yes. I can't wait to meet her."

"Me neither. I know that we are goin' to love her," Jasper added.

"Truthfully, I don't think that I can wait myself," Rosalie stated.

Nor could I. I glanced at Alice. "When will we meet Bella?"

"Well, _we_ are going to meet her at school next Monday. Then we could invite her to come over our house after we get to know her," she replied.

I bobbed my head. "That's wonderful! I will be delighted to finally see her."

Emmett smirked. "I bet you will."

Rolling my eyes, I shoved him playfully.

**Bella's POV**

_1:30pm Pacific Standard Time_

The plane landed safely at the airport in Seattle. I was relieved that the flight was over. I had been bored for the entire time.

When the airplane stopped, I picked up my backpack and walked out of it.

I looked for Charlie as I entered the terminal. I didn't see him anywhere at first, but then I noticed him heading towards me. I met him halfway.

"Hey, Bella," he greeted with a slight smile, embracing me.

"Hi Dad," I mumbled, returning his hug. I was not allowed to call him Charlie to his face. "How are you?"

Letting me go, he shrugged. "I'm fine, I guess. I'm not too happy with your mother, though. She was not very polite to me yesterday."

I pursed my lips. "I know what you mean."

"Are you all right? Was the flight here okay?"

"Yeah, I'm all right." I lied. I had no desire to tell him about what Mom had done to me the night before. If I did tell him, it would probably be when I was comfortable enough to. Since I did not know him too well, I had no idea when and if that would happen.

He nodded. "We should get going. Let's find your luggage and head home."

My suitcases did not take too long to show up. Charlie got them for me and we left the airport.

"So, what made you decide to come here?" he inquired as we sped down the highway.

"Uh...well, as Mom said, she needed her space. I thought that living here with you would do her some good. Plus, I wanted to see you. I never had the chance to be with you for more than three weeks. Even then I did not see you much...you were almost always working. I figured that we could get to know each other all over again."

This was also a lie (mostly), but I was being truthful about reacquainting myself with him.

And maybe he would grow to love me. That is, if he didn't already.

Charlie's rose his eyes in surprise. "Really? That sounds like an excellent plan. I'd like that. Besides, I...I missed you," he remarked awkwardly. He was never comfortable with expressing his emotions.

Then again, neither was I. We were very much alike in _that_ department.

"I missed you too, Dad." I really did.

It took a little more than two hours to get to Forks. When Charlie pulled up in front of his house, I could see that nothing had changed since last year. The paint was still white and the bushes under the porch had remained.

We stepped out of his police cruiser and Charlie took my suitcases out of the trunk. He carried them up to the bedroom that he reserved for me.

The room looked the same too, except for a dark purple bedspread that wasn't there before.

"A friend of mine from town picked it out," Charlie stated when he noticed me staring at it. "Do you like purple?"

"Yes, purple is okay," I commented offhandedly. "Thank your friend for me."

He glanced around the room. "Well, everything looks good to go. If you need me for anything, I'll be downstairs..." he said, his voice trailing off as he left the room.

I sighed wearily before putting my clothes in the dresser near the bed. Then I set my laptop and webcam on my desk. After that, I made the bed and laid the teddy bear that Carlisle had given me on the pillow. I put the candy wrappers in my desk drawer.

Once I was finished unpacking, I dove onto my bed. I could hear the TV running downstairs, but other than that, it was quiet.

And that what just how I liked it.

(A/N: **PLEASE REVIEW! **_Man_, the beginning of the chapter was _insane_! I know that a couple of you want Carlisle, the Cullens, and/or the Volturi to avenge Bella, and don't worry. They will...I can't let that bitch that Bella calls Mom get away with what she did to her! Thanks for the ideas, **BookLover31 and Twilight fan**! I appreciate it! And thank you to all who reviewed my last chapter! I love you guys so much!)


	3. New Friends and Other Surprises

**Bella's POV**

I practically lived in bliss over the next four days. Moving in with Charlie was quickly turning out to be the best thing that ever happened in my life.

For one thing, it was peaceful in his house. I did not have to put up with anyone shouting at me. No one called me names. And last but not least, I did not have to worry about being punched or shoved every other hour.

Charlie and I did not talk much, since he was at work often. However, he made it a point for us to have a small conversation when he was at home. He would ask how it was to live with Mom and what I had classes I had in school. He would also ask other questions, such as if I had friends or a job. Questions like that.

I was not yet comfortable about telling him about how horribly Mom treated me. I would just tell him that living with her was okay. I did not think that he completely believed me, though. But he did not pry into the situation any further, much to my relief.

I had also taken the opportunity to ask him a few things. They were mostly about what he had been up to since the previous year. Working, fishing, hanging out with his friends. Apparently, he did not do much.

While Charlie was working, I stayed home and tidied the place up. I began with the kitchen and living room first, then the bathroom. I left Charlie's room alone. Pretty soon, the house was sparkling clean.

My transfer papers from my old school arrived on Friday, so I was going to start at Forks High on Monday. I hoped that everything would turn out all right.

I wondered how I could possibly get to school. Charlie said that I could walk there, but the trip would take an hour. There was also a bus that I could take, but it did not run very often. I didn't what to do! Neither choice seemed like a good idea.

Luckily, this problem was erased on Saturday.

It was early in the afternoon. I was in my room when I heard a loud roar outside. Then Charlie asked me to come to the driveway.

When I did, I found him there with a Native American man in a wheelchair. Next to him was a teenage boy of about fifteen who was obviously his son. They looked vaguely familiar.

"Hey, Bella," Charlie announced. "You remember my friend Billy Black from the La Push reservation, don't you?"

That's right! No wonder I recognized them. "Oh yeah. It's nice to see you," I said to Billy, shaking his hand. "How have you been?"

He smiled widely. "I'm fine, Bella. Still dancin'," he joked.

I chuckled. "I'm glad to hear that."

The teenage boy stepped forward. "Hey, I'm Jacob. You probably don't remember me very well. You always visit just before I go camping every summer."

"No, I know who you are. It's good to see you too." I turned to Charlie. "So, what's up?"

He slapped the orange Chevrolet truck that he was leaning against. "I just bought this from Billy. Jacob rebuilt the engine and everything. You needed a vehicle, and this is a rather good one. And it's sturdy. Billy said that if you crashed into a car, the truck would be intact, but the other car would be nothing except twisted metal. It doesn't go too fast either, only 55 mph tops."

My mouth fell in amazement and delight. "No way! This? Oh my God, this is so cool! Thank you!" I exclaimed. "Could someone show me how to maneuver it?"

"Sure, I'll do it," Jacob declared.

When we climbed into the truck, he gave me an explanation of how each button and gear worked. I took the truck on a small drive around the block to make sure that it was operating correctly, then returned to the house.

"Everything good?" Charlie asked.

"Perfect," I responded with a grin. Then I thanked Jacob and Billy again.

Billy waved his hand. "It was nothing. Glad to help out."

He and Jacob stayed for a half hour or so before going home. Charlie went inside to watch a baseball game and I headed to my room.

Well, I had my truck. Now all I had to do was worry about school. Would I like Forks High? Would I make new friends there?

I supposed that I would find out soon enough.

XXX

Monday morning dawned as rainy as it usually did in Forks. There were a few sunny days throughout the year, but they did not occur very often.

Anyway. I was asleep when the alarm clock woke me up. I stretched and yawned before getting out of bed. After taking a shower, I dressed before going downstairs to the kitchen.

Charlie entered the room just as I had finished making breakfast. "Good morning, Bells," he yawned.

"Hey, Dad. Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?" I inquired, offering him a plate of eggs, sausages, and fried potatoes.

"Yeah, sure. Thanks. You know that I like your cooking." He sat down at the table and took a bite of his eggs. "Mmm! This is really delicious."

I reddened at the compliment as I sat down with my own plate. "Thank you," I mumbled.

We began to eat in silence.

"So...are you excited about starting school?" he asked after several minutes.

I shook my head. "No, not really. More like nervous."

He laughed. "I know what you mean. Don't worry, though. The kids here aren't too bad. I have known most of them since they were born. You should be okay."

"Thanks for the encouragement."

After we were done eating, I washed the dishes before leaving. "Bye, Dad. See you later."

He inclined his head. "Enjoy your day, Bella."

I got in my truck and drove to the school.

**Carlisle's POV**

Today was going to be the first day that my children would meet Bella Swan at school.

I could not help but feel nervous. Would they take a liking to each other from the start? How would they get along?

Would Bella notice that my children's appearances were different from other people's?

"Don't worry about it, Carlisle. Everything will be fine. Alice saw that it would," Edward assured. He had read my thoughts.

"Perhaps it will. You should run along with your siblings. You don't want to be late for school," I pointed out.

He snorted. "As if I would ever be," he muttered.

**Bella's POV**

It was very easy to locate Forks High; there were signs to guide me there along the road.

The first thing that I noticed when I arrived there was that I was not the only one who had an old vehicle. I was relieved because mine was nearly forty or fifty years old. I did not want people to make fun of me.

However, as I scanned the parking lot, I saw that there were some new ones. A silver Volvo, a Jeep Wrangler, and a red convertible. Five people were standing beside them. Two blondes, two brunettes, and one with copper-colored hair.

When I found a parking space, I cruised into it and before shutting the truck off. I grabbed my backpack before stepping out of it.

"Hi," a female voice that sounded like tinkling wind chimes greeted behind me. "You must be the new girl."

I turned to see that the five people had wandered over, most likely in curiosity. Now that they were up close, I could see that they were so remarkably beautiful that I had to wonder if they were born on earth. They had skin that was paler than mine by a few shades (I was quite pale myself) and golden eyes just like Carlisle's.

For what seemed like hours, I could not utter a word because I was struck dumb by their magnificent beauty. Then I shook myself. "S-Sorry. Yes, I am the new girl. Um...hello," I returned.

The short girl with black pixie-like hair, who had spoken to me the moment before, smiled. "Well, welcome! What is your name? What grade are you in?"

"Bella Swan. I'm a senior."

"Cool, so are we! My name is Alice. Alice Cullen. And this is my boyfriend Jasper-" She wrapped her arm around the guy next to her. He had shoulder-length blonde hair. "My sister Rosalie, who is his twin."

The girl with wavy blonde hair nodded. She looked like a supermodel!

"My brother Emmett, Rosalie's boyfriend," Alice continued.

The boy with curly brown hair and gigantic muscles beamed. If his eyes did not look as kind as they did, I would have thought that he was intimidating. He towered over everyone in the group.

"And finally, this is my brother Edward."

The copper-colored haired boy waved.

I grinned shyly. "It's a pleasure to meet all of you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too," they responded altogether. Their voices sounded otherworldly.

Edward thrust his hands in his pockets. "So what classes do you have? Do you know yet?" he queried.

"No. I have to go to the office and pick up my schedule."

Rosalie smiled. "Oh, okay. Would you like us to show you where it is? It's your first day here-you might get lost trying to find it."

I shrugged. "I guess so, if you want to. That is, if it isn't too much trouble..."

She shook her head. "No, of course not! We would be glad to help you. Follow us."

They led me into the school and down a hall to the main office. I stepped into it as they waited for me by the door.

When I introduced myself to the woman sitting behind the desk, her eyes lit up. "Oh, that's right. You are Charlie's daughter," she remarked. She handed me a few papers one by one. "This is your schedule, and your locker number and combination. Make sure that all of your teachers signs this last paper so that I can have proof that you attended your classes. Enjoy the rest of your day, Isabella."

"Thanks, and it's just Bella," I said.

Alice practically mobbed me as I left the room. I did not think that she meant to be rude in doing so, however. "Great, you have your roster. May I see it? You might be in one of our classes. If you are, we can walk to them with you."

I could not believe how kind and accepting that she and her boyfriend, brothers and sister were to me. I liked them already, and I had barely known them for ten minutes! "Sure. Here you go."

She took the paper from me and looked it over. "Oh, cool! You do have all of your classes with at least one or two of us. Your first one is History and Geography with Mr. Friezenberg. Jasper and I can take you there right now. Class is going to start in five minutes."

The three of us hurried to the second floor and arrived in Mr. Friezenberg's room just in time.

He glanced up from his desk. "Ah, hello Mr. and Miss Cullen. I see that you have brought someone with you," he observed.

"Yes, sir Mr. F. This is Bella Swan. She's starting today," Alice declared.

"Oh, yes. I nearly forgot about that," Mr. Friezenberg exclaimed. "Welcome, Miss Swan. Let me sign the paper for you."

When he had finished doing that, he gave me my textbook and workbook. "There you go. And you will be sharing a table with Jessica Stanley. First row on your left." He pointed to where a dark-haired girl was slouching over her desk.

I sat down and took out my notebook.

The girl named Jessica smiled at me. "Hi. You must be Bella. You look like your dad."

I inclined my head. "Yes, I'm Bella."

"Nice to meet you. My name is Jessica Stanley. Your dad is friends with my parents."

"Oh. That's good to hear. It's nice to meet you too."

"May I have your attention, please," Mr. Friezenberg called to us, and class began.

The rest of the morning passed by without any drama. When History and Geography class was over, Emmett escorted me to Calculus I. After that, I went to English Literature II with Edward and Rosalie. My fourth period class was Chemistry, which Edward, Alice, and Jasper also attended.

Edward and Emmett had been very sweet when showing me to Calculus and Chemistry. They would hold my books for me as we headed to where we needed to go. They would even tell jokes, and I found myself laughing at them. It felt great to do so because I did not laugh very often.

Besides the Cullens, I had met several other students. Their names were Angela Weber, Ben Cheney, Eric Yorkie, Tyler Crowley, Lauren Mallory (who was Jessica Stanley's friend), and Mike Newton. I liked most of them well enough, except for Lauren and Mike.

Lauren was a bitch, to put it simply. I would have found Mike more tolerable if he did not try to flirt with me so much. He had even offered to carry my books for me when I was going to Chemistry. I told him no, but he persisted in begging me to let him. I was sure that we would have gotten into an argument if Edward hadn't intervened.

"Hey, Newton! Leave Bella alone! She doesn't need you to mess with her, you creep!" he growled.

Mike huffed and stormed away with a frown.

Edward turned to me. "Don't worry about him anymore, Bella. I won't let him or any of the guys here bother you. Trust me."

I smiled a little. "Thanks."

Finally, it was time for lunch. I sat with Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, and Edward while Jasper stood in line to get my food.

"Aren't you going to eat too?" I questioned.

Emmett shook his head. "No. We don't like the food here. It sucks. And anyway, we're vegetarians," he added.

The others exchanged furtive, amused glances.

I nodded in understanding. "That makes sense."

Jasper laid my tray in front of me several minutes later. It contained a plate of Salisbury steak with rice and spinach. He had also picked out a can of orange soda for me.

I thanked him before starting to eat. The food did not taste bad at all. Not like Emmett said that it did...

"So, Bella. Where are you from?" Alice inquired.

I swallowed my rice before answering. "I was born here in Forks, but I had been living with my mom in Phoenix since I was three months old. I had just moved in with my dad last week because Mom wanted some time alone."

Rosalie nodded pensively. "Did you like it in Phoenix?"

"Yes, it...it wasn't too bad." I took another bite of my food.

The gloomy tone of my voice caused everybody to eye me with concern.

"What's the matter? Is there something about Phoenix that you didn't sit well with you?" Edward queried.

"Yeah, a few things didn't," I mumbled. "But I don't want to talk about it."

He peered at me shrewdly, as if he were trying to figure me out. I squirmed and continued to eat.

I knew that they wanted to ask more questions, but they did not press me. Instead, they chose to talk about something else.

Spanish II followed lunch, and after that was Gym, which I hated. I was too clumsy for that class. I nearly always ended up falling and/or getting hurt. Sometimes, I injured myself so badly that I had to be taken to the nurse or the hospital.

Luckily, time went by quickly, and school was over before I knew it. I was glad that it was. I was aching and sore, and I just wanted to go home and rest.

After putting a few things away in my locker, I walked out of the building. The Cullens joined me as I headed for my truck.

"It was great to meet you, Bella. We ought to hang out after school sometime this week. Go to the mall or our house or something. In fact, you could come over to our place right now. We could do our homework together and find stuff to do afterwards," Alice remarked.

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea. I'm sure that Charlie won't mind if I spend time with you. But I have to go to the market. We're running out of some of the things that we need," I explained.

"Not a problem, Bella. You can meet me at our driveway. Just head north out of town and drive until you see Rosalie's convertible," she instructed.

I inclined my head. "All right."

She smiled and embraced me tightly. I had expected her to feel warm because she had treated me as such all day. Much to my astonishment, however, she was _freezing_. When I say freezing, I mean that she was as cold as marble, and just as hard.

"Uh, Alice? Why are you so cold?" I inquired as I backed away from her.

A strange expression flickered across her face, but it passed by so quickly that I barely had time to process it. "Oh, it must have been the air conditioning in the school," she stated in an offhand voice.

For reasons unknown to me, I did not believe her. But I let it drop. "Mmm. Well, I'll see you soon."

"Okay, Bella," Alice said.

"Meet you at the house," Emmett added.

"Be careful while you're shopping," Rosalie warned, hugging me. She was as cold as Alice!

I nodded and waved to them before reaching out to open my truck's door. Jasper made it there first and did it for me.

"Ma'am," he drawled in a Southern accent.

What a gentleman he was! I could not help but smile at him. "Thank you," I murmured, climbing inside.

He grinned back. "Yer welcome."

I started the vehicle and backed out of my parking spot. As I did, I waved to the Cullens one more time. They beamed and waved in return. I could not wait to see them later. They were all so friendly.

The trip to the market did not take long. When I arrived there, I got out of my Chevrolet.

I was just ambling through the parking lot when I slipped on the wet pavement. I tumbled forward and landed on my right arm. Luckily it did not break or anything, but I knew that the old bruises had flared up again.

"Whoa! Are you all right, miss?" a deep, angel-like, but strangely familiar voice demanded in concern.

Suddenly, I was being lifted onto my feet. I turned to see who had picked me up and froze.

It was Carlisle! I couldn't believe it! I gaped at him, unable to do anything else.

He stared at me in equal amazement. "Bella?! Is that you?" he inquired in shock.

**Carlisle's POV**

I had no idea why I asked her this when it was clear that she was Bella. After all, it was very obvious.

My God, but she was breathtaking...even more so in person. Truthfully, I had to wonder if she were descended from a Greek goddess or nymph. Her name suited her to a tee.

She smelled delectable too, like strawberries and freesia. I yearned to bury my nose in her jugular to have a better access to the aroma. To breathe in the heavenly-scented blood pumping in her veins.

I really knew then that she was mine. Of course, I had believed that she was when Alice told me so. However, seeing Bella again, and looking upon her, cemented the fact that she was my true other half.

My thoughts were interrupted then, when Bella started to speak.

**Bella's POV**

I blinked and came back to earth. "Y-yes. Yes, it is me. Uh...how are you, Carlisle?" I questioned.

"Pretty good. Are you all right? That was quite a fall," he stated.

"Yes, I'm fine. I didn't get too hurt. Thank you for helping me."

Carlisle looked relieved. "You are welcome, and it is no trouble at all. So, what are you doing here in Forks? You are the last person I expected to see today."

I had to laugh. "I just moved here with my dad Charlie. I'm going to be staying with him for a while."

His eyebrows rose with new-found surprise. "Charlie? Do you mean Police Chief Charlie Swan?"

Nodding, I replied, "Yep. That's him. Do you know him well?"

"I should. I am his doctor."

"Really? That's cool. Huh, this _is_ a small world."

"That is very true."

For a moment, we were quiet. Then I sighed.

"Well, I have to get going. I need to buy some stuff."

Carlisle bobbed his head. "All right, then. Perhaps we will meet again soon," he remarked.

I grinned. "Yeah, maybe. Thanks again for helping me out there," I added.

He waved his hand dismissively. "As I said Bella, it was no trouble at all. Good-bye. Enjoy the rest of your day." He held out his hand.

As soon as I touched it, the oddest thing in the world happened. Electricity crackled along my skin from my fingers to my elbow. I jumped, and so did he. He must have felt it too.

**Carlisle's POV**

If I had any doubts that Bella was my soul mate, they would have been swept away right at that very moment. My children had told me once that that happened when someone touched their true other half.

Still. That electric nearly shocked the shit out of my hand.

An awkward silence pervaded, and we could only stare at each other in astonished bewilderment. After what seemed like a long time, Bella released my hand.

"Um...well...good-bye," she finally mumbled.

I smiled a little and nodded. "Good-bye, Bella. It is nice to see you again."

"You too, Carlisle. You too."

I picked up my bags and reluctantly headed over to my car while nodding to her once more. She waved to me in return, grinning brightly.

I did not want to leave her. Nevertheless, we hardly knew each other, so I could not have been expected to stay with her. Besides that, I had to get back to the hospital.

With a sigh, I got into my Mercedes (an S55 AMG) and cruised out of the parking lot.

**Bella's POV**

In a daze, I bought the food that I needed to get and drove to my house. I put everything away and left Charlie a note to tell him where I would be. After that, I left to go to the Cullens.

Much to my relief, it was easier to find Rosalie's convertible than I thought. It was parked in a gap in the trees outside of town.

"Oh, good, you found me!" she exclaimed in delight. "Are you ready to go to my house?"

"Yeah!" I responded.

"Okay. Just follow me."

She stepped into her car and began to drive. I trailed after her carefully, making sure that I didn't crash into a tree when I arrived at a turn.

It took fifteen minutes to reach our destination. I would never had guessed that they lived deep in the forest. If I were them, I would be nervous about all of the wild life creeping around.

When we finally pulled up in front of the residence, my mouth fell in awe. It was not a house at all. It was a mansion! From the looks of it, there were three or four floors. There was also a garage that looked big enough to park five or more cars in.

"Oh, my God. _This_ is your place?" I breathed as we ambled over to the door.

"Mmm-hmm! Do you like it?" Rosalie queried.

I chuckled. "You have no idea."

After entering the mansion, she opened a closet. "You can put your coat in here, if you want."

"Thanks." I took mine off and hung it on an unused peg.

We situated ourselves before heading upstairs to a living room. Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Edward were there, talking and laughing.

Emmett glanced up as we came in. "Hey, Bella! What kept you? We were starting to worry about you!" he boomed in a loud voice.

I lowered myself onto a couch that Rosalie told me that I could sit on. "Well, I'm here now. You don't have to worry anymore. I guess that we can get started on our homework now?"

They nodded.

"Sure! Let's get to it!" Edward announced.

All of us took out our books and proceeded to do just that.

Doing homework with them turned out to be very enjoyable. Stories about our day were told, and a few of them were very funny. Everyone helped me when I did not understand some of the questions that were asked. The guys would tell jokes that made our sides split. Alice and Rosalie would tease their boyfriends and Edward to the point of comical embarrassment.

To my very great surprise, I noticed that I was having more fun than I ever did in my life.

In addition to that, I could hardly believe that the Cullens had taken this much of a liking to me. No one ever had before. I permitted myself to soak in their friendliness...it was impossible not to. Not when it felt so warm and inviting. I soon grew more comfortable with them, and in turn, they did so with me. I was touched when Emmett laid his rather cold head on my shoulder in the middle of a discussion that we were all having. He looked so boyish when doing so that I couldn't help but ruffle his hair.

The hours passed by without my realizing it. We finished our homework in good time, then stayed in the room to talk some more. We were all just about to pick out a movie when I heard a door opening downstairs.

"Dad's home!" Alice proclaimed joyfully. "I'll go get him and tell him to come up here so that he can meet you."

"Okay," I said, feeling nervous.

She smiled in reassurance. "You don't have to be scared. He will approve of you. Trust me."

I could only nod. She patted my arm before dashing away. I refocused my attention on the others, who were still trying to find a movie for us to watch.

A minute later, there were two pairs of footsteps behind me.

"Bella," I heard Alice declare. "I would like to introduce you to our dad."

When I turned around to say hello, I realized that the man that she was standing next to was...Carlisle!

No. Fucking. Way.

No. Fucking. Way!

_Carlisle _was their _father_?!

I was really gawking at him in amazement this time! I could not believe it!

(A/N: **PLEASE REVIEW!** I meant to update sooner, but I have been very tired this week because I don't sleep much, and sleepiness does not help me write. Anyway, I hoped that you enjoyed the chapter. It was longer than I expected it to be.)


	4. Happy Birthday!

**Bella's** **POV**

When I had recovered from my shock, I grinned faintly. "Hi Carlisle. I didn't know that you were their father. Your kids never told me that you were," I implied.

He smiled widely. "Hello there, Bella! I definitely wasn't expecting to find you here! You seem to be popping up everywhere I go today! And yes, they are my children."

Alice's jaw dropped, and everyone else looked just as astounded. "Oh, my God! You two know each other?! How? Did you meet somewhere?" she demanded.

Carlisle chuckled. "Yes. Bella is the girl that I had told you and your siblings about. Remember when I said that I met her ten years ago? And that we so happened to meet again on the computer several days ago?" he asked her.

"No way! I had no idea that you meant her!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, she is the Bella that I meant. I saw her earlier too, when I had finished shopping. She had taken quite a hard fall in the parking lot."

My cheeks reddened in embarrassment.

"So," he continued. "Were you kids behaving yourselves before I arrived here? How was school?"

Emmett nodded. "Yeah, Carlisle, we were behaving. Don't worry."

"And school was great," Rosalie added. "That was where we met Bella. She just started school at Forks High today."

"Ohhhh." Carlisle turned back to me. "Do you like it there so far?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so. It isn't too bad there."

He inclined his head thoughtfully. "That's wonderful. And are my children being polite to you? Have they made you comfortable?"

"Yes, thank you. They have been very friendly and welcoming to me."

"Good. So, what are you all getting ready to do?" he inquired of the room at large.

Edward held up a DVD. "We were just about to watch a movie," he responded.

"Would you like to join us?" Jasper offered.

Carlisle gave him a remorseful smile. "I am afraid that I will not be able to right now. I have a lot of paperwork to complete."

They bobbed their heads in understanding.

"Oh. That's all right, then. Maybe later?" Edward queried.

"Perhaps. Enjoy yourselves and don't get into any trouble," Carlisle admonished. He beamed at me and winked, then left the room. I found myself blushing.

The others must have noticed that I was because were smirking at me as I refocused my attention on them.

"What?" I questioned.

Alice and Rosalie giggled.

"Dad seems to have taken a liking to you..." Rosalie observed. "...if you know what I mean."

Snorting, I leaned back into the couch. "No, he hasn't. He knows that I'm 17. I'm too young for him. Besides, we hardly know each other," I remarked.

Rolling her eyes with a grin, Alice shrugged. "Okay, if you say so," she murmured, ducking when I threw a pillow at her.

Edward finally put on the movie, and we settled down to watch it. It was a very good one. We laughed often and commented on certain parts of it.

When it was over, it was time for me to leave. It was getting late, and I had school the next day. But I did not want to go. I had had so much fun today!

Alice must have know how I felt because she embraced me as I stood up. "Don't look so sad, Bella. We will be at school tomorrow. We can all hang out then."

"Yeah. Thanks for inviting me to come over. I had a really nice time," I said.

Emmett patted my arm. "You're welcome, Bella."

"We were glad to let you visit," Jasper added.

Rosalie hugged me. "If both your dad and mine allow you to, you can spend the weekend with us. We'll have a little sleepover, and we can go shopping or to the movies. Oh, wait! Let's exchange our phone numbers!"

I gave everyone mine first, and after that, they gave me theirs.

"Call us if you need anything. We'll be there before you know it," Edward stated, wrapping his arms around me.

"That's right," Alice declared.

Smiling at them, I put my cell phone. "I will, and you can call me too. I'll see you guys at school tomorrow! Bye!"

They waved. "Good-bye, Bella."

I strolled out of the room and down the stairs. I had made it to the first floor landing when I tripped and dropped the textbook I was holding.

Cursing under my breath, I bent over to pick it up. However, someone reached down and got it for me.

"Here you are, Bella," Carlisle said.

I took it from him. "Thank you."

"You are welcome. Are you leaving?"

Nodding, I replied, "Yes, I have to go home and prepare for school tomorrow."

"Oh, all right, then. Perhaps I will see you soon. Be careful while in the driveway and enjoy the remainder of your evening."

"You too, Carlisle. It was good to see you yet again," I snickered.

"The pleasure is all mine, Bella," he laughed gently.

We shook hands, which caused electric to tingle through my skin once more. My sleeve slid down my arm a little, revealing a purplish-black bruise.

Carlisle noticed it and frowned. "What happened to your wrist?" he queried in concern, inspecting it closely.

I tried to smile as convincingly as I could. "Oh...I had hurt my arm when I fell earlier, and I bruised my wrist. But it's no big deal. I treated it at home."

"I see. But would you like me to take a look at your arm as well? I can make sure that you did not hurt yourself too badly."

Fear rushed into me. I couldn't let him see it! He would find the other bruises and ask where they came from too! But I wouldn't be able to give him an answer. There was no way that I would tell him about what Mom did to me!

I shook my head as I pulled my arm out of his hand. "No, thanks Carlisle. I'm fine now...it isn't hurting me," I whispered.

He narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips. I did not think that he completely believed me. "Are you certain? I could do it right now and escort you home..."

"No, no! Everything's okay. Trust me. I had better get going now. Charlie will be wondering where I am."

Carlisle took my hand in his once more. "Well, it was delightful to see you. I am happy that you gave my children some company. They don't bring visitors often, so they rarely have someone to spend their time with, other than each other," he remarked. Then he cocked his head to the side. "By the way, when did you say that you would turn eighteen?"

"Tomorrow. Tomorrow will be my birthday." I asked.

His eyebrows rose in surprise. "Really? Well, I wish you many happy returns!" he exclaimed.

I had to smile. "Aw, don't mention it. But why did you want to know?"

"Because...well...I was wondering if I could ask you out sometime?"

My mouth fell. Carlisle wanted to go out with me?! I had to be _dreaming_! No one had ever asked me to go on a date with them before! Guys my age tended to overlook me. They usually went out with girls who more attractive than I was.

Perhaps Alice and Rosalie had told me the truth. Maybe he had taken a liking to me. I felt rather flattered at the idea of it. He _was_ handsome, and he was a very polite and considerate man. The thought of him being attracted to me as well made me feel pleased.

It was a while before I was able to regain my speech. "I...uh...I...How old are you? You look the same as you did ten years ago, but I know that you have to be a bit older than me," I pointed out.

Carlisle nodded. This time, he did not look quite so happy. "Yes, I'm afraid that I am...I am thirty years old."

Blinking in amazement and disbelief, I peered at him closely. "Are you serious? You don't look much older than twenty-three!"

An odd look crossed his face, almost too quick for me to see it.

**Carlisle's POV**

Bella had really hit the nail on the head! It was almost as if she _knew_ that I was really twenty-three in human years!

Of course, I could not tell her that I was twenty-three. Not until I revealed to her what I was. I hated having to lie to her, but I had to in order to protect myself.

**Bella's POV**

"Do I really look that young?" he inquired after a moment.

"Yes, you do." Then my shoulders slumped. "But it doesn't matter. We can't go out anyway. People will talk...they'll say that you're old enough to be my father! And Charlie would never approve. Besides, your children are my age!"

"That is true, but I do not care. You are going to be 18...you will be old enough to make the decision to court me. And if you choose to do so, they cannot do anything to me."

I was dubious. "I know, but still. Thirty _is_ far from 18. Why do you want to ask me out when you know how old I am?"

Stepping closer to me, Carlisle placed his hand on my arm. "Well...to be honest, Bella...ever since my divorce, I had chosen not to look for someone else. I did not think that I would ever be drawn to another woman again. However, I was wrong. I find myself feeling very much attracted to you, Bella. You are so, so gorgeous and kindhearted. And there is something about you that makes me want to get to know you more. To find out all there is to know about you.

"I understand that our age difference is a bit of a setback, but it does not change how I feel. We could date each other in private for some time, and when you are ready to, you may tell your father that you are seeing me."

Although I felt extremely touched by his words, I was still hesitant. "Um...all right. But what about your kids? They would never possibly agree to this!"

He smirked. "I don't think that they will mind. After all, Rosalie was right...I have very much taken a liking to you. She wouldn't have said it in the tone that she had if she did not like the idea of it."

"You _heard_ her?" I gasped.

"Of course I did. I wasn't that far away from the living room," he chortled. "So what do you say?"

**Carlisle's POV**

_Please let her say yes. Please let her say yes,_ I prayed to God. _I know that it is wrong to make her think that I am thirty. But when she finds out that I am really 23 in human years, perhaps she won't mind the age difference so much._

However, I did wonder how Bella would react when I tell her how old I was in vampire years. She would probably faint or run away from me in terror.

But when I eventually tell her that I and my children are vampires, what will she do? How would she feel?

I would not know until I did.

Anyway, I hoped that she would let me date her for now. That she would let me have her. I had meant every word that I said to her. I did want to get to know her. There seemed to be a mystery about her, something that was shrouded in mist. I aimed to figured out what it was.

For one thing, she behaved very strangely when I asked her about the bruise on her wrist. I was not saying that she had not done it herself. After all, she had fallen on it earlier that day. But I had the feeling that there was something else behind it.

Second of all, why did she seem so unhappy? Why did I have the feeling that she had never been given affection or love?

Perhaps she would tell me when she was ready.

For now, I would just have to let everything go at their own pace.

**Bella's POV**

I thought it over. On one hand, I wanted to date Carlisle. I really did. I liked him a lot, what little I knew about him. Plus, I realized that I was drawn to him as well.

On the other hand, I knew that we would both end up in some form of trouble if we were found out. Charlie would be furious, and everyone in town would gossip about us.

But then, what did it matter? Why should I care if they did? Tomorrow, I would be eighteen. I was old enough to do as I pleased. Besides, I had taken care of myself for years. If the people in Forks did not like me going out with Carlisle, they could all kiss my ass and hope that I don't fart in their faces.

_What about Charlie, though? What if he disapproves too?_ a voice in my head inquired.

I did not know, but I hoped that he wouldn't hate me for it. I wouldn't have been able to bear it if he did. However, when the time came, I would deal with him.

Clearing my throat, I said slowly, "Well...sure. We can privately go out. I would actually like that, in spite of your being thirty years old. Truthfully, I...I'm attracted to you too. I wouldn't mind getting to know you."

Carlisle beamed. "Then it's settled. I do not know when I will have some free time this week. It has been busy at the hospital lately. However, I will let you know when I do. How does that sound?"

"It sounds good."

"Wonderful. Could we exchange numbers, please?"

"Yes, of course."

Once we had, I turned to leave. "Well, I'd better go now. Call me?" I questioned.

He nodded. "Certainly, Bella," he responded. "Drive safely."

"I'll try to. See you later, Carlisle."

"Good-bye."

I left and got in my truck. As I did, I heard knocking from the mansion's windows. Looking around, I saw Alice, Jasper, Edward, Emmett, and Rosalie waving at me in excitement. They also gave me a cheerful thumbs-up...I supposed that they had probably been eavesdropping on me and Carlisle. Apparently, they didn't care that I would date their father at all.

Laughing loudly, I shook my head at them and waved back. Then I rode down the driveway and headed home.

**Carlisle's POV**

I was nearly jumping for joy as I went back to my office.

Bella said yes! She wanted to go out with me, even if I was supposedly thirty years old. Perhaps the age difference did not bother her too much. And she was attracted to me as well!

I felt as if I were the luckiest vampire in the world tonight. Hopefully, on our first date, everything would go smoothly.

Upstairs, Alice chortled. "Everything will, Carlisle. Trust me. I've seen that it will."

"Excellent. Thank you for letting me know."

Now all I had to do was find out when I had a free evening. In the meantime, I could plan the outing. It would not be too fancy or simple, but good enough that we will both enjoy ourselves immensely. If Bella liked that one, then we could go on another date.

"Carlisle, she's your true other half. Why would she _not_ like it?" Edward questioned.

_Stay out of my head, please_, I thought to him with a laugh.

** Bella's POV**

When I entered the house, I saw Charlie watching a football game.

"Hey, Dad," I called to him.

He turned to me. "Oh, hi Bella. Did you have fun at the Cullens'?" he asked.

"Yeah, I did. I like them. They were all so nice and friendly to me," I responded.

"That's good," He shot me a crinkly-eyed smile. "I'm happy that you spent time with them. None of the other kids in town want to have anything to do with them."

I frowned. "Why?"

"Most of them think that they are strange and weird. I don't understand why they do. They seem polite and well-mannered to me. Their teachers say that they are too."

"I would agree with you both. They are polite and well-mannered. They showed me to my classes and had lunch with me. And when I was at their house, we did our homework together and talked and watched a movie."

Charlie chuckled. "I bet that surprised the other kids in your school to see you interacting with them."

"If it did, I wouldn't know. I didn't pay much attention to them."

"What about Dr. Cullen? Did you meet him too, or was he still working when you left his house?"

I nodded. "I've met him. He seems nice." But that was all I would say.

"Mmm. He's a good doctor too. I should know...I'm one of his patients."

"Yeah, he told me that he was your doctor. Well, I should get to bed now. I'm tired, plus I have school in the morning. See you later."

"'Night, Bella."

I went upstairs and called Alice to let her know that I made it home safe.

"Oh, okay. Good! So...what do you think of Carlisle?" she inquired in a teasingly sweet voice.

Rolling my eyes, I admitted, "I like him so far. He's extremely polite and charming."

"Do you think that he's good-looking?" she prodded.

I blushed. "Yes, I do...very."

"That's cool. I think that you will really like him once you get to know him more."

"But...doesn't it make you and the others uncomfortable to know that I'm going to be dating your father? I'm the same age as you and your boyfriend, sister, and brothers are!"

"Age is just a number, Bella. So, no, it doesn't bother me or any of us. You are very nice, smart, sympathetic, and mature. I can see why Dad is attracted to you. He deserves someone who is as kind as you are."

I sighed. "Well, okay. If you say so. But are you sure?"

"Of course I am, Bella. So, don't worry about it. I have to go now. There is something that I have to do. See you at school tomorrow!"

"Yeah, see you."

I hung up then and changed my clothes. After that, I turned off the light and dove under the covers.

(Next Day-Happy Birthday to me)

My cell phone rang loudly the next morning, pulling me out of my slumber.

I flipped it open. "Hello?" I grunted.

"Happy day that I wish you were never born, you ugly whore! I hope that everything goes wrong for you today!" I heard Mom yell on the other end.

Seriously?

"Gee, thanks Mom. Fuck you too. I wish the same thing for you as well," I countered back in a sarcastic voice.

There was a thick silence, then: "DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT! I RAISED YOU BETTER THAN FOR YOU TO SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO ME!" she bellowed.

"Whatever, you selfish bitch," I huffed.

Then I slammed the phone shut and went to take a shower.

Usually, on my birthday, Mom ignored me. She did not wish me a happy one, buy me a cake, and give me any presents. All in all, she just pretended as if I were never born. It used to break my heart, but now I didn't care anymore. Fuck that bitch. Who was she to me? I hoped that she would get run over by a car, or better yet, a bus or train. That would serve her right for how she treated me.

The only person who would acknowledge my birthday was Charlie. He would send me a gift in the mail and call me. At least somebody appreciated me and was glad that I was here.

When I came back to my room, there was two wrapped packages on my bed. One was huge and the other was flat but wide.

_To Bella, Love Charlie,_ the notes on them said.

See what I meant?

I grinned brightly and opened it feverishly. Inside the huge box was a flat screen TV with a cable box/DVD player. In the flat one, there was a Playstation 2 with several video games. There was also a card with fifty dollars in it. Wow! I was definitely not expecting this!

As soon as I was dressed and wearing my jacket, I ran downstairs to the kitchen. When I was there, I exclaimed in delight. Charlie had made breakfast for me! And it smelled so mouthwatering!

"Happy Birthday, kiddo!" he announced. "I cooked your favorite!"

"I can see that," I observed, gazing the pancakes, eggs, and sausages. I dashed forward to hug him. "Thanks for everything! They are really wonderful gifts!"

Charlie laughed and kissed me on the forehead. "You're welcome, Bella. I'm glad that you like them. You did need a TV for your room, and I figured that it wouldn't hurt to have some entertainment."

I snuggled into him. "No, it wouldn't. You are so good to me. I...I love you, Dad," I murmured, feeling so overcome with emotion that tears welled in my eyes.

He embraced me. "I love you too, Bells. I...I wish that I told you that often. Well...you should eat you breakfast now. You don't want it to get cold," he remarked in a gruff, but enthusiastic voice.

I gave him a kiss before sitting down. I tasted the food, and luckily, it was delicious. "This is good, Dad."

"Thanks."

I ate my meal with relish. Charlie and I talked all through breakfast. Once our plates were clean, he offered to wash the dishes.

"Are you sure that you want to?" I queried.

He inclined his head. "Yeah. Why don't you head for school, be there early? I'll take care of everything."

"Okay. Bye." I swiftly kissed him on the cheek.

"Bye, Bella. Have fun. Let me know if you decide to go anywhere."

"I will."

I grabbed my book bag and left the house. It was not raining outside, but there were heavy gray clouds in the sky. Nevertheless, I had my umbrella in case I would need it.

The Cullens were already in the parking lot when I arrived there. Did they always go to school early?

With a shrug, I found a parking spot and jumped out of my Chevrolet. As I closed the door, Edward ran up to me, followed by Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, and Alice.

"Hi Bella! Happy eighteenth birthday!" they proclaimed, beaming brightly.

And suddenly, I was being hugged by every one of them.

"Wha-? Who told you that it was my birthday?" I demanded in shock.

Edward smiled secretly. "You did, of course. We heard you tell Carlisle so," he replied.

I placed my hands on my hips. "Didn't your dad ever tell you that it's wrong to eavesdrop?" I asked in a stern voice.

"But we haven't been dropping no eaves," he protested, mimicking Sam Gamgee from _The Lord of the Rings._

I smacked his arm playfully and chuckled at his British accent. "Oh, shut up."

Jasper snorted. "Yeah, Edward. You're being weird again."

Edward glared at him.

Emmett nudged me. "So you and our dad, huh? Ready to go out with him?"

"Shh!" Rosalie hissed. "Not so loud, Emmett! We don't need anyone to know! Carlisle might get in trouble if people find out that he is thinking about dating Bella."

"Sorry, Rose."

Alice threw her arm around my shoulders. "Come on, Bella. Let's get to class."

The school day passed by smoothly. I went to my classes with the others and did my work. Mike Newton did not bother me. I even spoke to Angela Weber in English Lit. II. I liked her a lot. She was quiet and shy, but also very nice.

"What do you think of Forks High? Do you like it here?" she inquired once.

"So far. I haven't been here long enough to know what it's really like here yet," I responded.

She laughed gently. "That's reasonable."

I had lunch with the Cullens again. Jessica Stanley had invited me to sit with her and her friends, but I kindly turned her down. However, I promised that I would another day.

This time, Edward volunteered to get my lunch for me. He came back with a tray of spaghetti and meat sauce with Italian bread and broccoli. There was also a thick slice of chocolate cake and a Ginger Ale soda.

I smiled at him. "Thank you, Edward. This looks good," I commented.

"Don't mention it. Enjoy your food," he smiled.

Rosalie grinned at me. "So what are you doing for you birthday, Bella?" she questioned.

I shook my head. "Nothing. I usually don't do anything," I mumbled.

She blinked. "You don't do anything? Not even go out to the movies?"

"No," I sighed.

"Why not?" Alice queried. "Everyone should do something on their special day."

I shrugged. "I don't know. I guess that it's because my birthday is usually on a school night. By the time I'm done my homework, I don't feel like doing much except relaxing."

This was obviously a lie. I didn't want to tell them that I didn't do anything because my sorry excuse of an egg donor wouldn't let me. She would even _take my money_ so that I wouldn't even _think_ of going somewhere or buying myself a present.

Everybody exchanged glances, but said nothing else about it.

Once lunch period was over, I attended my last two classes. Then it was time to go home.

"Bella, come to our house in a few hours," Alice stated as she and the others escorted me to my truck.

I scowled in confusion. "Why?"

"So that we can hang out again."

"Oh, okay. I'll be there, then. What time?"

She narrowed her eyes pensively. "Five o'clock would be good. And don't be late."

"Five, it is."

Emmett opened the truck's door for me. I thanked him as I stepped inside. All of us bid each other good-bye as I drove away.

When I was at my house, I decided to get some homework completed before going to the Cullens'. At four twenty, I called Charlie to tell him where I was going.

"All right, Bella. Don't get home too late. Have fun," he added before hanging up.

It was not hard to find the Cullens' driveway. That was because there were balloons tied to a tree. What was that all about?

I pulled up in front of the mansion ten minutes early. The windows were dark, and the garage was closed. It did not look as if anybody was there. I went to sit on the steps. I would wait for them.

That was when I saw a note on the door. It said:

_Bella, the door is unlocked. You can come in and sit in the dining room. It's on the second floor. We will be here before five._

So I opened the door and climbed the stairs. The dining room's light was off too. I looked for the switch and found it on the wall to my left. I flicked it on.

"SURPRISE! HAPPY EIGHTEENTH BIRTHDAY, BELLA!"

I yelped and jumped a foot in the air as the Cullens popped up from out of nowhere. Even Carlisle was home! Everybody except for him was wearing party hats. The room was decorated with balloons and streamers.

Rosalie held up a camera and took a picture of me. The flash startled me even more.

"Holy crow," I gasped.

Everyone chortled.

Alice yanked me over to them. "Sit down at the head of the table, Bella! You're the guest of honor!" she declared.

When I had, golden lights flickered behind me. I turned to see Jasper carrying a small cake with white icing and iced pink roses along the edges. Edward and Emmett followed him, bringing in a tub of vanilla and chocolate ice cream. They laid everything in front of me.

Suddenly, I wanted to cry. I couldn't believe that all of them had done this for me.

"Bella? What is wrong?" Carlisle inquired, who had noticed the tears in my eyes.

I wiped them away as I let out a sob. "Nothing. I...I'm just so touched by this, that's all. You have all been so nice, and you hardly even know me. Why are you doing this for me?"

Alice hugged me. "Because we like you, Bella. And besides, we wanted you to have something to look forward to today, other than homework. Your birthday should be fun. Don't cry."

"Yeah!" Emmett agreed.

I sniffed and wiped my eyes again. "Thank you."

Rosalie threw out her arms. "All right, everybody. Let's turn off the light and sing Happy Birthday to Bella!"

Jasper flicked it off, then everyone began to sing. I gazed at the table and blushed shyly as they did. I was not use to all of this attention.

When they were finished, Alice said, "Now make a wish and blow out your candles."

Closing my eyes, I wished that everything would keep getting better for me. Then I took a deep breath and blew at the fire until it was dark. Everyone applauded and cheered.

After the lights were back on, I cut the cake. I offered some to the others, but they did not want any.

"Vegetarians, remember?" Carlisle asked with a grin.

"Oh, yeah," I laughed. "Sorry."

"It's all right, my dear."

I reddened. I liked it when he called me that, but not in front of the others.

Once I had eaten my cake and ice cream, Rosalie handed me a wrapped package.

"Present time! Open this one first. It's from me and Emmett," she announced.

"You didn't have to buy anything for me!" I exclaimed. I could feel the tears coming once more, but I forced them back.

She rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Just open it."

When I did, I found myself looking at a stereo system imprinted on a box.

"It's for your truck. Rosie and I noticed that you didn't have one," Emmett explained.

I smiled at him. "Thank you both so much. I don't know how to install it, though."

"No problem. I can do it for you before you leave."

"Thanks again."

Next, Alice gave me her present, which were two perfumes. One was labeled strawberry, and the other freesia. (Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed her smirking at Carlisle, who rolled his eyes. I wondered what that was supposed to mean.)

Jasper had bought me chocolates. They looked scrumptious and I couldn't wait to try them.

Edward's gift was a book, _Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince_. "You told us that you are crazy about Harry Potter, so I figured that you would want the newest book that came out this July."

"Oh my God! You have no idea of how much I wanted this! Thank you, Edward," I shouted, leaping forward and embracing him.

It was at this time I realized that Carlisle had disappeared. I turned to the others. "Hey, do you know where your dad is?" I inquired.

Everyone shrugged, but then, Alice nodded at something. "Oh, here he is. He went to get your present. It's beautiful too! Look!"

I turned to see Carlisle standing next to me with a bouquet of red roses.

"For you, Bella. Happy Birthday," he murmured softly.

With my mouth open in shock, I slowly took it from him. This had to be one of the most romantic gifts that I ever received! "Thank you, Carlisle. It was sweet of you to buy these for me. They are lovely, and they smell wonderful too," I added as I sniffed them.

He lifted my hand and kissed it. Electric crackled through my skin. "You are welcome."

**Carlisle's POV**

I was pleased that Bella liked the roses, as well as the other gifts that my children gave her. But when Jasper presented her with the cake, she nearly cried. However, it did not appear to offend her that he did. She even looked happy about it.

Nevertheless, why would she cry about it? Had anyone ever given her a cake, or celebrated her birthday, for that matter?

Those were a couple more things that I had to find out. If only Edward could read her mind. He had told me the previous evening that he could not. This astound him greatly, and I could not blame him. She was the only person whose thoughts were silent to him.

**Bella's POV**

Now that I had been given my presents, it was time for the music and dancing. When we were all in the living room, Alice put on a CD.

The others started to dance, but I remained on the couch. I did not know how to dance very well. If I tried to, I would end up breaking something, or breaking a bone. Carlisle had chosen not to dance as well, and sat in his armchair.

"Come on, Bella! Dance with us!" Alice pleaded.

I shook my head with a grin. "No, thanks. I don't dance," I stated.

Nearly everyone paused and stared at me as if I had lost my mind.

"You don't dance?!" she exclaimed. "Everybody dances!"

"Not me. I don't like to."

She opened her mouth to say something else, but Carlisle held up his hand.

"Leave her alone, dear. This is Bella's party. She does not have to dance if she does not want to," he remarked.

Alice nodded. "Okay. Sorry, Dad."

They went on dancing for about an hour or so. As they did, I noticed that Carlisle watched me with a frown for entire time. It was as if something about me puzzled him.

Feeling uncomfortable under his gaze, I squirmed in my seat.

Pretty soon, the hour was up, and it was time for me to go. The Cullens hugged me as they said good-bye.

"Did you like the party? Was it too much?" Rosalie asked.

"No, it wasn't. I liked it a lot. Thanks for throwing it for me," I replied.

Edward smiled. "We're glad that you enjoyed yourself."

Emmett tapped me. "I installed your stereo while the party was still going. You can listen to it on your way home."

"That sounds good. Thank you. I better get going now," I sighed.

Jasper embraced me once more. "All right, Bella. See you at school."

"Drive safely," Carlisle admonished. "Oh, and Bella. Did you need help taking your presents down to the truck? If so, I could help you."

I grinned shyly at him as the others rolled their eyes. "Actually, I did. You can help me if you want to."

"Anything for you, Bella."

He carried my cake and my book out of the house. I took care of the chocolates and the perfumes. Everything was able to fit next to me in the seat on my truck, so Carlisle and I put them there.

"Thank you," I repeated after he closed the passenger door.

"It was no trouble at all, Bella. I am pleased that you had fun, by the way. We wanted the party to be special for you," Carlisle said.

Laying my hand on his wrist, I smiled. "It _was_ very special to me. Probably more than you know. I don't believe that I can ever thank you enough."

He chuckled. "You don't have to do that. We only wished for you to have a good time."

I squeezed his arm. "And I did."

We stared at each other for an indefinite amount of time. Then I let him go.

"Well...I guess that I will see you around?" I queried.

Carlisle bobbed his head. "Certainly, Bella. I am still interested in going on that date."

"Okay. Let me know when you are able to."

"Don't worry, Bella. When I am, you will be the first to know."

He kissed my hand, then opened the door for me.

I climbed into my truck. "Thank you."

"You are welcome, as always."

Laughing lightly, I started the truck and waved to him. "Good-bye, Carlisle."

"Good-bye, Bella. Enjoy the rest of your evening."

"You too."

And I sped down the driveway and made my way home.

(A/N:** PLEASE REVIEW!** That was nice of them to do that for Bella.

Oh, and by the way, I have good news. I had published my book this morning! It took a while to do it, but I finally did. If you are interested in buying it, go to and put The Chronicles of Josie in the search bar. If you read it, I hope that you enjoy it! Ciao!)


	5. IMPORTANT NEWS!

**Author's Note**

I have good news. I had published my book this morning! It took a while to do it, but I finally did. If you are interested in buying it, go to , click the Bookstore tab and put The Chronicles of Josie in the search bar. If you read it, I hope that you enjoy it! I

I will also try to update the story ASAP. I am not finished with it, so don't worry. As they always say, the show must go on!

~Iridescent Bellisle Cullen (I.B.C.)~


	6. Our First Date, Part 1

**Bella's POV**

Charlie was sleeping in the living room when I came in the house, so it was easy to smuggle my presents into my bedroom. I would have had a lot of explaining (not to mention lying) to do if he saw the roses that Carlisle had given me.

I put my gifts away before calling Alice to let her know that I arrived home safely. Then I finished the rest of the homework that I needed to do and went to bed. But before I did, I buried my nose in my roses and inhaled their sweet scent deeply. I still couldn't believe that Carlisle gave them to me.

Minutes later, I turned off my lamp. After that, I took a rose from the bouquet and dove into bed. I held it and my teddy bear all night long.

XXX

The next three days that followed my birthday were great. I went to school as usual and had my classes with the Alice and the rest of the Cullens. I did not visit them at their house again, but I promised them that I would on the weekend.

It seemed as if the Cullens were nicer to me every time I saw them. They still walked to class with me, and they would always get my lunch for me. And it wasn't just the guys who did it. Alice and Rosalie did too.

My classmates and the other students in Forks High were amazed that I had taken on with them so well. When I remembered what Charlie told me about them thinking that they were strange and weird, I could understand why. The Cullens were not either, of course. It was true that they were unlike anyone that _I_ had met, and so was Carlisle.

Still, they were good to have an interesting conversation with. They were intelligent and articulate, but also funny, silly, (and a little raunchy) at times. Most importantly, they were kind, loyal and generous. In fact, they were almost _too_ perfect. Maybe that was why they did not mix with other people.

I liked them a lot, though. They were the friends that I needed all along. However, I could not understand this bewilderingly strong pull that I felt drawing me to them. I began to have an inkling that there was something more to our companionship. I could not figure out why or what it was, though.

Everything was going good between Charlie and I. He still worked most of the time, but we still managed to have some quality time together. Other than that, we stayed out of each other's way and gave the other their privacy when they needed it.

My egg donor had not contacted me again after my birthday. It was just as well. I had nothing to say to that bitch.

The bruises on my arms and stomach had faded away to nothingness by Friday. I was both happy and relieved about this because I would not have to hide them anymore. Better yet, I did not have to worry about them being seen either. It was a close call when Carlisle noticed the one on my wrist on Monday. If I hadn't done some quick thinking, a lot of shit would have happened that I wouldn't have wanted. My egg donor deserved to be locked up, yes, but I still did not want to talk about everything that she did to me. One day I would have the courage to, but at the moment I didn't. Not yet.

Carlisle had not called me or spoken to me since my birthday. I had not seen him either. I did not find this unusual, though. Like his children, I knew that he was often busy working at the hospital. I wondered when he would call me; I was just as eager to go on our date as he had been. I hoped that we would be able to have it soon. I really wanted to see him again.

(Friday evening-7:00pm)

I was in my room fooling around on my laptop. I was not doing anything important, just playing Solitaire. It was quieter than usual in the house. Charlie was doing his night shift at the police station, so I was only one here. I did not care much about it, though. I was so rarely left to myself (except for in school) that I welcomed any chance to be alone.

I had just put the aces in the correct place when my cell phone rang. I glanced at the screen. Carlisle was calling me!

Perking up in excitement, I answered the phone right away. "Hello?" I said breathlessly.

"Hello there, Bella," Carlisle greeted in a soft, musical voice.

I reddened. "Oh, hi Carlisle. Um...how are you?" I inquired shyly.

"I am fine, thank you. And yourself?" he returned.

"I'm okay, thanks."

"What about Charlie? Is he well?"

"Yes, he's fine."

"And how was school today?"

"It was all right. Nothing drastic happened."

He chuckled. "That's good. Are you busy? Did I catch you at a bad time?"

"No, I'm just playing games on my laptop. Why do you ask?"

Carlisle was silent for a moment. "Because I wanted to talk to you about our date. My boss gave me tomorrow and Sunday off from work. He thinks that I have been working entirely too hard and wants me to rest. And I was wondering...since I won't have nothing to do for next two days...Would you like to go out to dinner with me in Port Angeles tomorrow evening? There is a nice restaurant there that we can go to. And after that, we could also have a stroll by the harbor and talk, if you like," he stated.

I smiled brightly. Everything sounded so romantic! "Sure, that's cool. I don't have anything important to do tomorrow or Sunday either, so I can go. What time?" I questioned.

"Well, it takes a little more than an hour to get to Port Angeles. I was thinking that you could come to my place, and we could leave at 4:30. That way, your father won't suspect anything unusual. But if you prefer to leave at a different time, I understand. We can go at any time you want."

"Four thirty is great, Carlisle. I'll see you before then anyway. Your kids invited me to come over tomorrow. That is, if it's okay with you? I don't know if they asked you if I could..."

Laughing again, he remarked, "I don't mind if you do, Bella. I am pleased that you spend time with my children. They really needed a friend. I am glad that you had crossed paths with each other. They like you and enjoy your company very much. I want to thank you for spending most of your free time with them."

I was so flattered that I could only blush. "You're welcome, Carlisle. It's not a problem. I love hanging out with your kids. They have been kind and friendly to me ever since I met them earlier this week. So have you."

"I am happy to hear that they have, and you are also welcome."

Just then, I remembered that there was something that I wanted to talk to him about. "Uh...Carlisle? I had a question that I wanted to ask you if you didn't mind?" I queried.

"Of course not, my dear Bella. Ask away," he said.

My cheeks burned even hotter. "Charlie said that none of the kids in Forks want to interact with your children because they think that they are strange. Is that true?"

When Carlisle sighed and did not immediately respond, I thought that I had offended him. "Um, sorry. I shouldn't have asked that. Forget that I did..."

"No, no, it's okay. I'm not upset that you have," he assured me. Then he exhaled deeply again. "And I don't blame you for being curious. In a way, the children here do think that they are. But I personally believe that they don't associate with them because they do not think that they behave like teenagers normally do. Not often, anyway. Plus, my children like to keep to themselves in public, so they never had much of a chance to make friends with anyone other than you."

I was taken aback by his statement. "Well, if that's the case, I'm surprised that _they_ had decided to approach me on my first day of school then."

Carlisle snickered. "I am not. I can see why they did. I think that they could tell, as I could, that you are not like anyone else that they know."

"Do you really think that I'm not?"

"Yes."

Grinning, I murmured, "That's nice of you to say. And it's funny. That was what I thought when I met you and your kids. That you were not like anyone that I have ever known, I mean."

"Really? Well, it's no wonder that we get along, and that you and I are attracted to one another."

"Yeah," I agreed with another blush.

He was quiet for a moment, then sighed once more. "I have to go now, Bella. I would like to chat some more, but I don't want to keep you."

"Oh, all right. I'll see you tomorrow. We could talk more then, if you like."

"Certainly. Good-bye, Bella. I hope that the rest of your evening goes well."

"Yours too. Good-bye, Carlisle."

_Click._

I closed my phone and set it on my desk. A smile spread across my face. At last, Carlisle and I were finally going on our date! I couldn't wait until tomorrow!

I was reveling in my excitement when I abruptly realized something. I had _nothing_ to wear for our outing! Even worse, I did not know what to do, or how to act when on a date!

I was screwed! What was I going to do?!

**Carlisle's POV**

It was good to hear Bella's beautiful voice again. I had missed her since the last time I had seen her.

The rest of the week seemed to drag by without seeing or hearing from my soul mate. I was glad that my boss allowed me to have some free time so that I could be with her. We would finally able to have our date.

While we were having dinner, perhaps I would have the opportunity to ask her questions. The very same questions that I had been asking myself ever since came to Forks. But I would not ask them directly. I would word the questions in another way that were innocent and non-suspicious. This would be easy, however. After many years, I had learned how to ask subtle questions that would not bring discomfort to anyone.

On that note, I looked in my closet to find something to wear for tomorrow evening. I found a clean, white button up t-shirt with a collar and black dress pants seconds later. I also found a black jacket to go with the outfit. I ironed them to free them of wrinkles, then hung them up on my closet door.

There. Now, I was ready. I grabbed my keys and left the mansion to go on a hunt.

**Bella's POV**

_Picking up from where she left off_

I paced back and forth from my window to the bed frantically.

I did not have any clothes to wear for our date! Not any that were nice enough. My egg donor had never given me a dress for anything except for my eight grade graduation, but I had outgrown it. It wasn't something that anyone would wear for their first date anyway.

Oh man, what was I going to do? There was no way that I could buy one. I had spent most of my birthday money on gas to keep my truck running and other important things that I needed. By now, I had less than $20 left. I wouldn't be able to borrow one from anyone either. Not on such short notice. I didn't have any friends in town besides the Cullens...

Wait a minute! The Cullens! I could ask Alice or Rosalie if they could lend me something! I was sure that they wouldn't mind doing so, as long as I returned whatever they gave me.

I grabbed my cell phone and dialed Alice's number. It rang twice before she answered.

"Hi Bella!" she exclaimed.

"Hi Alice. How are you?" I asked.

"I'm great! What's up? Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm okay, but...um...I'm having a bit of a dilemma, and I need help."

Alice's voice switched from eager to concerned. "What's wrong? Did something bad happen?" she queried.

Suddenly, I felt rather embarrassed. I wasn't used to asking people for anything. "No, nothing happened. But...I, uh..." I faltered.

"Bella, what is it? You can tell me," she remarked in a soothingly.

I gulped. "Well...I don't know if Carlisle told you, but we're going out on our first date tomorrow.

"OHMIGOD! REALLY?! THAT'S SO COOL!" she squealed.

"Yeah it is. But um...I don't have anything to wear for it at all. Do you have an outfit that I could borrow? Or do you know if Rosalie has any that she could lend me?" I inquired timidly.

"Oh, Bella, why didn't you say so in the first place? Of course I have something that you can borrow! In fact, I have so many clothes that you could keep the outfit if you wanted to. But how come you don't have anything?"

This question really made me feel embarrassed. I didn't want to tell her that my egg donor hardly ever gave me nice things. She would just pity me. I decided to lie. "Uh, I left my dresses in Phoenix. I didn't have enough room in my suitcases for them, so I couldn't bring them with me."

For a long moment, Alice was quiet. Then she said, "Oh. That makes sense."

I had the feeling that she did not believe me. Then again, I was never a good liar...

"Well, it doesn't matter," she declared next in an enthusiastic voice, interrupting my thoughts. "When you come over to visit tomorrow, I will give you something to wear and shoes to go along with it. We can even experiment with make-up to see what looks good on you. Okay?"

I grinned. "Sure, that's fine. Oh, and...I've never been on a date before. I don't know what to do or how to act. Do you think you can tell me how?"

She laughed softly. "I won't need to. All you have to do is _be yourself_ and not get too nervous. But that won't be too hard for you. Carlisle is an easy person to be with. Trust me."

"Okay, if you say so. I'll see you tomorrow then, I guess. And thank you so much. I owe you one."

"Don't be silly, Bella! It's not a problem to help you at all! I would do just about anything for you!"

"Thanks. How is everybody?"

"Everyone is all right. Just doing their thing, as usual."

"That's good. Tell them that I said hello."

"I will. Well, I'll see you soon, Bella. Call me if you need anything else."

"If I do, I will. Thanks again, Alice."

"You're welcome. Bye!"

"Good-bye."

I hung up. Now that that was taken care of, I could relax.

XXX

The first thing I heard when I woke up the next morning was Charlie snoring. I opened my eyes and peered at the clock. It was 10:23.

Yawning, I got up and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. I made myself breakfast and fixed something for Charlie to eat for lunch. Then I put a note for him on the refrigerator to let him know where I was going. After that, I called Alice to let her know that I was on my way before leaving the house.

About twenty minutes later, I was parking in front of the Cullens' place. Alice, Edward, Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie came out to greet me.

"Hi Bella!" "What's up, Bella?" "How are you today?" they inquired cheerfully.

When I said my hellos to them, and told them that I was fine, they ushered me into the mansion.

"Are you hungry, Bella?" Rosalie asked as we sat down in the living room. "Would you like something to snack on?"

"No, but thank you. I had breakfast before I came here, so I'm cool," I replied with a smile.

Jasper leaned back onto the couch. "So, what do you want to do today before you leave? Alice told us that you and Carlisle were going out later today."

I shrugged. "I don't know, but you can do whatever you were going to do before I came here.

"We haven't planned on anything yet," Edward announced.

"But now that you're here, we can definitely think of something," Emmett piped in.

"Yeah," I mumbled.

I picked up a little green and white ball that was on the floor. I shifted it in my hands, then threw it at Edward. He caught it and tossed it at Jasper, who pitched it at Alice. She propelled it at Emmett, who tossed it to Rosalie. Pretty soon, we were playing catch.

Laughter echoed in the family room. We made sure not to break anything as we ran around and threw the ball at each other.

Minutes later, Jasper pitched it at me. I had terrible hand-eye coordination, so I dropped it. I tossed at Emmett, backing up as I did.

The next thing I knew, my heel collided with a table leg, and I was tumbling backwards. I made to stop the fall when an icy pair of hands caught me. I looked up to see Carlisle.

"Are you all right, Bella? You seem to be falling a lot lately," he pointed out.

My face turned crimson, but I played off my embarrassment with a smirk. "Yes, I'm all right. You always seem to be helping me up or getting me out of some type of situation, Carlisle. Maybe I should just tie myself to you permanently. That way, I won't have to worry about ending up in the hospital. Or finding myself in a potentially dangerous or annoying circumstance," I joked.

Carlisle threw back his head and laughed as he set me on my feet. "If that is the case, I wouldn't mind if you do. That way, I could keep you safe. Plus, it would be as if I were in heaven if I had your lovely self attached to me all of the time," he murmured in a lighthearted tone.

**Carlisle's POV**

If only she knew how true that was, or how much I meant it. Well, she would soon, after I told her that she was my mate.

**Bella's POV**

I was stunned. I could not believe that he had actually said that to me! He didn't look as if he was kidding about it either. In fact, it was apparent that he meant it. Not in a bad or erotic way that would have made me uneasy, but in an honest and sincere way. It was as if he truly would like for me to be chained to him. His tone was not as lighthearted as it sounded...

With a little shake, I jerked myself out of my reverie and came back to the present. "Well...that's nice to hear, I guess. Uh...thanks?" I whispered to Carlisle, stammering a little.

He grinned and patted my arm. "You are welcome, Bella. I only came in to check on all of you and make sure that you were okay. Try to be more careful, all right? I'm afraid that I can't always be around to keep you from falling," he stated.

"If you say so," I sighed, feigning a pout.

We chuckled gently.

"Well, it looks like everything is fine here. I will see you soon, Bella. And if anyone needs me, I'll be in my office," Carlisle said to the room at large.

I nodded to him as he left the room. When he was gone, the others smiled teasingly at me. Emmett waggled his eyebrows.

Glaring at them softly, I hissed, "Before you even say it, shut up."

They chortled.

"Why should we? It's cute to see you blushing every time you see Carlisle, or when he says something to you," Alice remarked.

"We can see that you like him as much as he likes you," Edward added.

"Yeah! Bella and Carlisle sitting in a tree..." Emmett sang.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" everyone finished.

I was sure that my face had changed from red to purple by now. "Shut up!" I repeated. "You guys are so immature!"

"They certainly are," I heard Carlisle agree, his voice tinged with irritation and embarrassment.

Everyone except he and I laughed once more.

(A/N: You don't have to review this chapter, but if you want to you can.)


	7. Our First Date, Part 2

**Bella's POV**

_Later that day_

I had a late lunch at 2:00, and when I had finished eating, Alice took me up to her room. Rosalie joined us.

"Come on, Bella. We are going to get you ready for your date," Alice declared.

"This early?" I inquired, feeling puzzled.

She giggled. "Bella, it takes longer than you think it does to prepare for a special outing. Trust me, you are about to see."

The first thing that she and Rosalie did was make me take another shower in her bathroom. Alice gave me strawberry-scented body wash to use. Then they gave me a robe before washing my hair twice with strawberry shampoo. After rinsing it out, they used conditioner to soften any tangles I had. Then Rosalie blow-dried my hair.

When she had finished doing that, they both styled my hair in elaborate curls.

"You have such pretty mahogany-brown hair, Bella," Alice commented while she was doing this.

I had to smile; I was pleased by her compliment. "Thank you," I whispered.

In less than an hour, they were done. They pulled most of my hair back into a ponytail, but left some of it out so that curls hung down both sides of my face. I ran my fingers through my hair. They were as soft as silk, and just as loose. I peered into Alice's mirror and nearly gasped. I looked beautiful, more beautiful than I had ever seen myself look.

Rosalie grinned as she watched me admiring myself. "Did we do a good job?" she queried.

Nodding, I responded earnestly, "I would say it was more than good."

"Thank you," they said at the same time.

Alice laid a hand on my back. "Now, it's time for you to change your clothes. And that reminds me, you need a dress." She went to what was obviously her closet door and opened it. She stepped inside, then came out with a pile of dresses, which she put on the bed. "Go ahead and look through them. If you find something that you like, you can slip it on. I'll find you a pair of heels while you're at it. What is your shoe size?"

"Seven and a half," I replied.

She nodded and disappeared inside her closet again. I rummaged through the pile of dresses and found three that I liked. One was a glossy emerald-green, the next one was a shimmery navy-blue, and the other was black with sparkly glitter on it. It was hard to pick one that I really wanted to wear. Which one should I choose?

I consulted in Alice and Rosalie. They held each dress against me while narrowing their eyes.

"You should put on the emerald-green. It brings you out more. And these forest-green shoes will go with it," Rosalie finally announced.

Alice inclined her head in agreement.

But I was a little doubtful. Green wasn't particularly my favorite color. "Are you sure? Wouldn't black one look better on me?"

"It does look good on you, but it would be better for another time. This is only your first date. Carlisle doesn't expect you to look like a queen...not yet, probably," Rosalie said, joking a little.

I chuckled.

"Try the dress and shoes on," Rosalie insisted.

Not wanting to change my clothes in front of them, I went to put it on in Alice's bathroom.

As I slipped it over my head, I noticed how thin the material was. It felt lighter than air, but clung tightly to my figure.

The dress had thin shoulder straps (not spaghetti straps, they were a little more wider), and the hem was an inch under my knees. Half of my back was exposed, but not too much. The forest-green shoes were a perfect fit, and thankfully had low heels.

I looked myself over in the full-length mirror on the door. Damn, did I look sexy! I began to think that emerald-green was my color! It did bring me out!

Alice and Rosalie thought so as well when I came out of the bathroom.

"Ooh! You look good! You're probably going to have to fight Carlisle off all evening!" Alice joked.

"Yeah because he won't be able to keep his hands off of you," Rosalie added with a smirk.

Rolling my eyes good-naturedly, I shook my head at them.

I had brought my strawberry and freesia perfumes, so they tested both on their wrists to see which one smelled better. They did each one separately first, then combined them. After that, they asked which one I liked the best. Strawberry mixed with freesia actually smelled wonderful, so I sprayed a little bit of both on me.

"Now for the make-up," Alice declared, turning my face from side to side. "Your skin is very clear, so you don't need much. Just a light coating of powder will do. We could also straighten out your eyelashes and put some eyeliner on you. Some red lipstick would look nice on you too. Does that sound okay?"

"Yes, it sound fine. You're the boss," I sighed. They knew more about fashion than I did, so I just let them have their way.

Several minutes later, she and Rosalie were done applying the make-up. With it, I looked slightly older, as if I were twenty-one rather than eighteen. But the make-up had a very appealing effect on me, and I looked as gorgeous as Carlisle said I did once. They also gave me slender diamond earrings to put on that dangled, as well as a thin diamond necklace. They were fancy, but did not overdo the look at all.

"Done!" Rosalie proclaimed. "Just look at Bella, Alice. She's going to blow Carlisle away, isn't she?"

"I would be astounded if she didn't," she said.

Then Alice glanced at the clock. "We had better get you downstairs now. It's 4:20. Carlisle will be waiting for you by the front door soon."

I blinked. "How do you know that?" I questioned.

She shrugged. "That's what he used to do when he was married to Esme, our mother."

"Oh," I grumbled. The idea of him having been married made me feel oddly and inexplicably jealous.

Alice frowned at me in bewilderment and concern. "Bella? What's the matter?" she inquired.

Feeling my face from the inside out, I realized that I had been scowling as well. "N-Nothing. I'm fine."

She exchanged glances with Rosalie. A strange, knowing look passed between them, almost too quick for me to catch. Before I could think about it more, she put her hand on my shoulder.

"Come on, Bella. Stand up so that we can look you over one last time."

I obeyed, turning on the spot when directed to. Nothing seemed to be wrong with the outfit or my hair because they did not fix or straighten out anything.

"You're all ready to go!" Alice exclaimed with a grin. "Have a wonderful time! And remember what I told you last night. Relax. Don't be nervous and be yourself. If you do that, everything will go fine. Oh, wait a minute." She went to her closet and pulled out a black sweater. "Take this. It might get a little chilly later on."

"Good luck! I'm so excited for you!" Rosalie squealed.

"Thanks. I'm going to need it," I remarked, taking the sweater from Alice.

They walked with me down to the second floor landing, wished me luck again, and I was on my own. I carefully made my way down the steps so that I wouldn't fall and kill myself.

Carlisle was standing by the front door as Alice told me that he would. He was wearing a white button down shirt, with a black jacket and black slacks. His dress shoes, which were also black, were highly polished. His outfit contrasted splendidly with his golden, liquid-fire eyes. The sight of him took my breath away.

As I approached him, I noticed that his eyes were also taking me in from head to toe. He nodded to himself, as if in approval, and a tiny smile appeared on his face. He looked as if he thought that I was as beautiful as he was handsome.

**Carlisle's POV**

When Bella came down the stairs, I was suddenly overcome by wondrous beauty.

She was attired in an emerald-green dress with polished forest-green, three-inch heeled shoes. Dangling diamond earrings sparkled from her ears, and she wore a glimmering diamond necklace. Her curly, mahogany-brown hair shone brightly with luster. Most of it was in a ponytail, but a strand of curls framed both sides of her face. I could smell her strawberry and freesia scent from Alice's room...the perfumes magnified it tenfold.

Rosalie told her that she did not look like a queen, but she was completely and utterly wrong. My soul mate was so magnificently stunning that I _would_ have to take special care to keep my hands off of her. I found myself nodding and smiling a little in admiration.

This was one of those moments when I could not believe that she was mine. All mine.

**Bella's POV**

I walked up to Carlisle in a daze and stopped before him. Almost immediately, I caught a whiff of musk cologne radiating from him. I wanted to bury my nose in his chest. He smelled too good!

Carlisle spoke then, jerking me from my thoughts. "Hello again, Bella. How are you this afternoon?" he murmured.

"Hi Carlisle. I am all right, thank you. What about you?" I returned shyly.

"I am very well, thank you," he replied. He held out his hand. "Are you ready to leave?"

"Yes," I whispered, placing mine in his tentatively. Static charged through it.

He led me outside like the gentleman he was and we strolled over to his Mercedes. He opened the passenger door for me, and I thanked him before stepping inside. I put on my seat belt.

Once he was in the car and buckled up, Carlisle set off for Port Angeles. I could not think of anything to say, so I kept quiet. I mostly just watched him out of the corner of my eyes during the ride. He drove with a peaceful smile on his face while humming along to classical music on the radio. He did not speak to me that much, but perhaps chose to wait until we were eating to have our talk.

An hour later, we had arrived at our destination. Carlisle rode down a number of streets before parking in front of a small restaurant called La Bella Italia.

I laughed with pleasure. "You are too sweet, Carlisle," I stated, nodding to the building.

"Why, thanks," he chortled before getting out of the vehicle. He walked around to my side and opened the door for me. He took my hand to help me climb out.

"Thank you."

"You are welcome."

We entered the restaurant and waited by the hostess' station. A minute later, a woman who looked to be in her early 20s came to offer her services.

"A private table for two, please," Carlisle requested politely.

She bobbed her head with a grin and pulled out a couple of menus. "Right this way, sir."

Carlisle and I followed her to the back, where the private booths were.

"Here you are. A waiter or waitress should be with you shortly," the woman announced, giving us our menus. Her stare lingered on Carlisle as she left us to ourselves. I felt that familiar twinge of envy again.

A waitress appeared right away. "Hello. My name is Cassandra, and I will be serving you this afternoon. May I start you off with a glass of water to drink?"

"Yes, please," Carlisle responded.

"Sure," I added.

"Alrighty, I will be back in a second."

She disappeared, then returned with our drinks in two all-purpose glasses. "Here you go. And I will give you a few minutes to take your order."

We thanked her and she left.

Carlisle smiled at me. "You are very beautiful," he commented in a soft voice, gazing at me as if he were in a trance.

My cheeks tingled. "Uh...th-thank you. Y-You are handsome yourself," I mumbled. I opened my menu to hide my face. It was going to burn off if he kept making me blush!

"I am pleased that you think so."

Neither of us could think of what to say after that, so we concentrated on figuring out what we wanted for dinner. When I had picked something, I laid my menu aside. Carlisle did too, just as the waitress came back.

"Are you ready to order now?" she queried.

I nodded and cleared my throat. "May I have the mushroom ravioli with broccoli, please?"

"Certainly, miss. And is there anything that you would like to drink with it?"

"Hot chocolate...with whipped cream if you have it."

"Of course. And you, mister?" she asked, turning to Carlisle.

He pursed his lips. "Just a garden salad with Italian dressing, thank you, and a glass of Merlot red wine."

"May I see your identification, please?"

Carlisle pulled out his wallet and showed it to her.

"Very well, sir. I will have your food in twenty minutes or less. If you need anything, feel free to ask me."

When she was gone, Carlisle shifted his attention back to me.

"So, Bella. While we are waiting for our meal, why don't we talk and get to know each other a little more?" he inquired.

I grinned shyly. "Okay," I said.

**Carlisle's POV**

_And now, I can see if can get the answer to some of the questions I have been asking myself, _I thought. Of course, I would have to be careful and lie when answering most of the questions that she asked in return.

I leaned forward. "Is Bella your real name? Or is it short for anything?"

Bella nodded. "Yes. It's short for Isabella..." she began.

_Isabella._ Her name was like a song on my tongue, and music to my ears. _Isabella_.

"...But I don't like it when people call me that."

I was quite taken aback. "Why not? Your name is as pretty as yourself," I remarked.

Her face reddened as she shrugged. "I don't know. Bella just sounds better to me, I guess."

I stared at her for a moment. "Hmm. Not to be rude, but I like Isabella more. It suits you. Would you mind it if I called you Isabella?"

**Bella's POV**

Oddly enough, I wouldn't have minded it at all. I could not explain why, though. Normally, I hated it when people did, but Carlisle was different than everyone else. "Well...no, as long as it's only you calling me that. Um, Carlisle, may I ask you a question about yourself?"

"Of course you may, Isabella," Carlisle replied.

My name sounded as smooth as honey coming from his mouth...

"Well...you know where I am from and where I was born. Where were you born?" I queried.

He took a sip of his water. "I was born in London, England, but my parents moved here to the United States when I was very young."

I could have sworn that I heard a faint British accent whenever he spoke! "Wow, that's amazing! Is it nice there? Have you ever gone back?"

"A few times, and yes, it is very beautiful there."

"So where did you live when you were a kid?"

"Here and there. My parents traveled often. I mostly remember living in Rochester, New York, Chicago, Montana, and Wyoming."

I inclined my head pensively. "Where did you study to become a doctor?" I asked seconds later in a timid voice.

"Washington State University. I graduated with a Master's degree and summa cum laude from there five years ago. Do you plan to go to college?"

"I've thought about it, but I'm not sure if I'll go. I'm not particularly good at anything except English, and I never saw myself as anything much. Not in the workforce, at least."

Carlisle frowned. "Well, if you do well in English, you should consider going for journalism or public relations."

Making a face, I let out a laugh. "I don't know about that. I don't mix with people too well."

He quirked an eyebrow. "That's not true. You get along wonderfully with my children...and with me," he pointed out.

"People other than you and your family, I mean," I amended.

"Do you get along with your father-?"

Someone cleared their throat, interrupting him. The waitress had returned. I glanced at my watch and nearly did a double-take. Did the last fifteen minutes really go by that fast?

"Excuse me. Here you go. Mushroom ravioli with broccoli and hot chocolate with whipped cream for you, young lady. And a bowl of garden salad and Merlot wine for you, sir," she declared, setting our food and drinks before us. She also placed a wine bucket on the table near Carlisle. "Enjoy your meal! Remember that you may ask me for anything if you need assistance."

We thanked her once more. I started to eat my ravioli. Carlisle tucked into his salad, sipping his wine occasionally.

As I finished chewing my third bite, he repeated his last question.

I swallowed my food before answer him. "Yes, Charlie and I get along fine, even though we don't talk much. He's busy with his job often, and I have school. Plus, I have homework to do almost every night. But we try to spend at least some time together," I explained.

"That's good. And what about you and your mother? Do you get along with one another?" he inquired next.

My facial expression became singular.

He chuckled as he peered at me. "Uh oh! I take it that the answer is not a yes?"

I glowered at the table. "We get along sometimes," I responded shortly, lying through my teeth.

"...And what about the rest of the time?" Carlisle persisted, obviously noticing the tone of my voice.

"The rest of the time we just don't. What else is there to say?" I stabbed my broccoli with my fork.

With a grin, Carlisle stated, "You know, Isabella, it is not unusual for someone not to get along with their parents every once in a while."

"Maybe. I wouldn't know if that's true for anybody else."

He looked puzzled. "What do you mean? Don't you speak to other people?"

I shook my head. "Not really. Just to Mom and Charlie, and to you and your family."

Carlisle mulled over that. "Hmm. Well, what about your friends in Phoenix? Do any of them have nice parents?"

"I didn't have any friends in Phoenix. Your children are the only friends I have and had."

His eyes grew wide. "_Never_, in all of those years? Not even a boyfriend?" he demanded in shock.

"Never," I confirmed.

**Carlisle's POV**

Isabella never had any friends while she lived with her mother! Poor girl! This certainly explained why she was happy when she was around my children. And I...I must be the _only_ man to have shown interest in her. I don't believe that any other had made advances toward her in her entire life!

No wonder she was so sad, and timid and shy with me. But as we talked, I noticed that she was becoming slightly more comfortable with me.

Another thing. I noticed that Isabella had gotten upset when I mentioned her mother. She did not seem to like talking about her either. I wondered why, but I would ask about it when I had the chance to.

On that note, I went on with the conversation...

**Bella's POV**

"But you are such a kind person, Isabella," he exclaimed after a pause. "You seem like the type that would have at least a few friends."

"Maybe I would have had some in Phoenix if people didn't think that I was strange. Or if I weren't such a klutz," I muttered bitterly.

Carlisle placed his hand on mine. "That is not true. You are not a klutz, and you are not strange at all. I never thought for a minute that you were. I find you to be a sweet, friendly, kind, mature, intelligent, sophisticated, and complex young lady."

I bowed my head as a tiny smile of pleasure lit up my face. "Thank you. I think that you are the only guy ever thought that I was."

He lifted my chin so that I was looking at him. "Isabella, I cannot help but think or see that you are. It is why I want to date you. I like you very much, and I can see myself with you," he whispered passionately.

"R-Really?" I gasped, feeling extremely touched by what he said.

"Really, my dear. And I don't think that I am the only one who sees you for who you truly are. I am sure that someone else has before."

"Well, if someone had, I would have no way of knowing it."

"No, I suppose not."

Carlisle backed away then, and we continued to eat our food. It was going to get cold if we ignored it any longer.

When our plates were nearly empty, he cleared his throat.

"We never finished talking about your mother," he noted. "And now that I brought this up, I have a question."

I rose an eyebrow. "Yes?"

He picked at a tomato with his fork. "If you don't mind my asking, how come you and your mother do not get along at other times? You looked a bit upset when I mentioned her. Did you two...fight often when you lived with her?" he queried.

Suddenly, I _did_ become rather angry, as well as uncomfortable and frightened. What did it matter to him what kind of relationship my egg donor and I had? I couldn't tell him the truth, not when the situation between me and that bitch had nothing to do with him! Who did he think he was to ask me these questions?!

"I don't want to talk about it. Why do you care if we got along or not, anyway? It's none of your business," I snapped.

**Carlisle's POV**

Bingo! Her response was definitely an indicator that there was more to this than she would let on.

I had not expected her to do this, of course. She just barely knew me. It would not be easy for her to tell me everything about her, at least for a while.

I knew that I should wave this discussion aside. However, the expression on Isabella's face worried me. I could see that she was clearly furious, but I also detected uneasiness and fear.

Why would Isabella feel this way when it came to her mother? Gathering from the few things that she had mentioned about her:

_"My mom would be mad if she sees me talking to someone that I don't know."  
_

_"...She wouldn't like it if she caught me speaking to you in this chat room."_

I could see that her mother was strict. But then I remembered how unfairly she treated Isabella when she asked for the teddy and some candy.

This led to a startling question, one that I did not think to ask myself before.

Had her mother been unkind to her when they lived together? Not just on that day ten years ago, but most of the time, or all of it?

The idea of _my_ Isabella having been mistreated enraged me and made me sick to my stomach. If I ever found out that she had been, I didn't know what I would do, but I knew that it wouldn't be pretty!

Before I could think of anything to say, Isabella pushed her ravioli dish aside and stood up. She still looked considerably angry...I must have really upset her.

It took a second for me to realize that she was thinking of leaving. I couldn't let her go, not with the way that she was feeling!

I had to think quick!

**Bella's POV**

After ranting at Carlisle, I threw my napkin onto my plate and shoved it away.

Just as I was about to leave the booth, he grabbed my arm. I turned to see him standing behind me, looking apologetic.

"Please don't go, Isabella. I'm sorry if I offended you...I had no intention of doing that. I was only curious, but I had no right to pry. You are right...it is none of my business. Please...let us continue our date. I don't want to end things on the wrong foot. Please stay," he implored.

I melted around the edges. How could I leave him when he looked as if his heart would break if I did? Besides, I could plainly see that he was sorry, and meant everything that he told me.

With a sigh, I nodded before sitting back down. Carlisle squeezed my hand in silent thanks before letting it go.

Neither of us talked about my egg donor again as we ate the rest of our food. He asked if I wanted dessert, but I said no. The waitress gave him the bill when he needed it. He paid the desired amount of cash and hid both his tip and mine under a napkin. Then we left the restaurant.

Carlisle drove to the harbor although it wasn't far from La Bella Italia. But I knew why he did without asking; he didn't want his Mercedes to be towed. I couldn't blame him. His car was amazing, and if it were mine, I'd be pretty pissed if I had to get it out of an impound lot.

He and I were soon strolling along the walk. As we did, I told him about almost everything that went on during my first week of school. In turn, Carlisle told me about some of the things that happened in the hospital since he last saw me. We sat down on a bench to watch sailboats drifting along in the bay too.

As we were doing this, he took my hand. However, when he saw that I was looking at our interlocked fingers, he quickly apologized.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I don't mean to be so forward..." he began to say.

"You don't have to be sorry...You can hold my hand if you want to. I don't mind," I remarked. Even though his hands were freezing, I rather liked it when he held my own. Like his children's, they were as hard as marble. But there was a gentleness about them that was very pleasing to the touch.

He smiled before grasping my hand softly once more. I found myself relaxing and becoming less tense. Alice was right about him; he _was_ an easy person to be with. He was so kind, so easy to get along with. So easy to talk to. I liked him, and as the evening crept by, I liked him more and more.

Pretty soon, the sky began to darken over the clouds. Carlisle exhaled deeply. "I am afraid that we have to go back to Forks now. I don't want you to get home too late," he murmured wistfully.

"Yeah," I sighed. "I don't want to leave, though. I was really enjoying myself."

"So was I, especially because you are here with me." He stroked the back of my hand with his thumb.

"Even though I snapped at you? I'm sorry that I did, by the way."

He waved his hand. "Don't worry about it. I wasn't upset that you did. But yes, I did enjoy my time with you. I would love for us to have another date. That is, if you would like to."

I grinned at him. "I would like to very much, Carlisle. I...I like you, and I would love to go on more outings with you," I admitted with a blush.

"Well, then," he stated with a pleased smile as we walked over to the car. "If that is what we both want, then we shall."

The ride back to the mansion was as quiet as the one to Port Angeles. That was only because Carlisle and I had silently chose to revel in the peaceful contentment surrounding us.

Before I knew it, he was speeding up his driveway. As he parked the car in the garage, his children came to greet us.

"Hi Dad! Hi Bella! How was your date?" Rosalie demanded eagerly as Carlisle helped me step out of the vehicle.

"It was splendid, honey," was all he would tell her.

She was not satisfied with his answer, and neither were the others. They bombarded us with questions as I went to Alice's room, and he to wherever he was going.

As I changed into the clothes that I was wearing earlier, Alice inquired, "So did you like your first date? Did you have fun?"

"Yes, I did. We had very nice time," I replied.

She beamed brightly. "That's wonderful. I'm glad that you two went out. I really am. I haven't seen Carlisle so happy ever since he filed for divorce. And you look happier than I have ever seen you since we've met. You must really like each other."

I just smiled at her. But deep down inside, I was overjoyed that he was happy. And it was _I_ who made him feel that way! I was glad that I did. I wouldn't have wanted him to be miserable.

Alice and I chatted for several more minutes, then I had to leave. She walked to the front door with me and we embraced each other.

"Come back soon!" she mumbled.

"I will," I promised her.

She let me go and I headed for my truck.

Just as I had reached it, however, I heard Carlisle yell behind me, "Isabella, wait!"

He came over to me and took my hands. "I just want to thank you, Isabella, for such a beautiful evening. It was one of the best that I have had in a long time. I hope that our next date will be soon because I honestly want it to be. I really want to spend more time with you," he said.

I squeezed his fingers. "Well, when you are given another day off, let me know. I'll try to make time for you. And you're welcome," I added.

He smiled gently at me. At the same time, the moon broke through the clouds. One of its beams landed on his face, making him look even more god-like.

Carlisle must have been thinking something similar about me because he whispered, "Isabella, you are so divine in the moonlight. Did you know that?"

He caressed my cheek. Then he bent forward, and his lips met mine.

He was kissing me.

Carlisle was...kissing me.

I just stood there, struck dumb with almost overwhelming shock. I couldn't believe that he was actually _kissing_ me! Me, of all people!

It took a moment for me to recover from my astonishment. When I had, I started to kiss him back. I did so clumsily at first, but as we continued, my lips became more skilled. Carlisle pulled me into him and slipped his tongue into my mouth.

_Oh God, he tastes heavenly!_ I thought as his tongue explored it hungrily. When it retreated, I glided mine along his before sliding it into his own mouth. He moaned, and it was all I could do to keep myself from losing my mind. That strange electric that I felt whenever I touched him crackled on my lips. I did not care, though.

We broke apart for air after what seemed like days. Carlisle kissed me briefly one more time, then moved away.

"Good-bye, Isabella. See you soon," he said.

"Definitely. Bye, Carlisle," I returned.

That was when I heard banging on the mansion windows. We turned to see Alice, Jasper, Edward, Rosalie, and Emmett jumping around and cheering. Carlisle waggled his finger at them. I laughed, feeling partly embarrassed.

"All right, the show's over! Go to your rooms," he called to them.

They stuck their tongues at him and disappeared. Emmett paused to make kissy-kissy faces at us before joining them.

Carlisle rolled his eyes and smiled at me. "Well, I believe that I kept you long enough, Isabella."

"Yeah. Bye."

"Good-bye, sweetheart."

(A/N: **PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW!** Did you like the chapter? I hope so! The title of the next one is: "WHAT THE HELL?" Perhaps it will give you an idea as to what will happen next. I'll try to update soon! Ciao!)


	8. WHAT THE HELL?

**Carlisle's POV**

I saw Isabella off before going to my room. I laid on my bed and put my arms behind my head.

That was such a wonderful date, the best that I ever had. I could not wait to go out on another one with Isabella. I had the feeling that it would be better than this one. Perhaps we could go for a stroll somewhere, or even to a movie.

And the kiss that we had shared...words failed to describe it. It was more than perfect, if such a thing was possible. I could still feel her warm lips on mine. I wished that I had given her another kiss before she had left.

I sucked in my lips and ran my tongue across them, just to feel the heat again while it lingered. The taste of strawberries seeped onto it (my tongue.) Mmmm, so delicious.

While I relaxed in peaceful contentment, I suddenly thought of the time Isabella snapped at me earlier. Would she ever tell me why she did not get along with her mother at times? Would she ever explain why she did not seem happy to talk about her?

I hoped that she would, and soon. I did not like it when Isabella was upset about anything, or when something was troubling her. The thought of it worried and angered me, especially when she couldn't tell me about it. Not yet, anyway.

I couldn't pressure her. If I did, she would likely push me away. She may also decide not to date me again. However, I knew that she wouldn't be able to avoid me for very long. At least, I prayed that she wouldn't because I would not have been able to bear it. She was my soul mate, after all. I had fallen in love her already...much sooner than I had thought.

Still. I knew that the day would eventually come when I did receive the answers to my questions. I would just have to bide my time and wait patiently for it.

There was nothing else that I could do.

**Bella's POV**

I had remained in seventh heaven even after I went to bed that night. I still could not believe that Carlisle had actually _kissed_ me! The sweet taste of his lips were still on mine.

Our date had been so romantic! Words failed to express how lovely our dinner and walk by the harbor was. I felt jittery every time I thought of him taking my hand while we had watched the sailboats drifting by.

I couldn't wait to go on our next date. I knew without a doubt that we would have more than a good time. It didn't matter where we went as long as I was with him.

Cross that. I couldn't wait to see him at _all_. I did not know when our next outing would be, but I did not want to sit around and wait for it. Carlisle was a doctor. It might be a while-possibly a week or more-before we could have another date. A week, not to mention two, would seem like forever.

Maybe I could visit him and his kids tomorrow if none of them had anything to do. Carlisle had the day off again, so perhaps he wouldn't mind. If he didn't want to see me, that would make me a little sad, but it would be fine. At least I could spend time with the others. I certainly had nothing to do. I had already finished my homework and did whatever else I needed to do.

Suddenly, I frowned. What was up with me? I had never behaved this way before, and definitely haven't over a man. Then again, Carlisle was not like any man that I knew, and I did not know many. Maybe this was why I felt the way I did about him.

He was more mature than some of the ones I did know, even for a thirty-year-old. Still, he did act younger than his age in some ways. He could be playful and goofy at times. I noticed it when he interacted with his children on my birthday.

On the whole, he was such a friendly, kind, intelligent, and sweet person. Not to mention drop-dead gorgeous and handsome. In fact, Carlisle had so many good qualities that I still could not understand how he and his ex-wife Esme divorced!

I knew that there was an explanation behind why they did. However, I wasn't going to ask him about it yet. It would make him uncomfortable, and I certainly did _not_ want to make him feel that way. The thought of my ever doing that made me uneasy.

But I would think about all of that later.

On that note, I snuggled into my pillow and went to sleep.

(Next day)

I woke up the next morning feeling giddy with exhilaration. My mind was clearly still centered on the last night's events.

Smiling to myself, I took a shower before getting dressed. I ate my breakfast alone once again; Charlie had another night shift the previous evening, so he was asleep.

At least, that was what I thought until he entered the kitchen. "Hey, Bella," he greeted in a croaky voice.

"Hi Dad. What are you doing up?" I inquired.

He shrugged. "I really don't know. I just woke up suddenly for no apparent reason. But I'll probably go back to sleep soon," he responded, scooping eggs onto a plate. "So, what are you doing today? Are you staying home?"

"No. I'm going over to the Cullens' again."

Charlie laughed. "You visit them so much that somebody would have thought that you lived at _their_ house instead of mine."

My brow furrowed in worry. "Do you want me to stay home? I can if that's what you want..." I remarked concernedly.

He waved his hand. "No, no Bella! You don't have to stay here with me. I'm just going to bore you, sleeping like a log all day. Go and have fun with your friends. I'm glad that you have people your age to spend time with."

"Are you sure?" I questioned doubtfully. "I really will stay..."

"Bella," he interrupted. "Just do as I say. I don't mind you visiting them..."

I bet he _would_ have minded if he knew the main reason why I was.

"...and anyway, I'm sure that they are more fun than boring old me."

"That's not true, Dad. You're not boring. You just can't spend much time with me because you're often busy with your job. And that isn't your fault."

Nodding, Charlie agreed, "Yes, that's true. But when I have the chance, I'll make it up to you. I'll find something that we can do together."

I smiled. "Don't stress yourself out about it. I understand that you have limitations."

"I'm sure of that, but I still promise to spend time with you."

"Okay. I'd like that."

When we had finished eating, I cleaned the dishes and put them away. "All right, Dad, I'm leaving now. I'll try not to come back too late," I announced.

He gave me a hug. "Enjoy your time, baby. I'll see you when you come home. I don't have to work tonight," he explained when I frowned at him in bewilderment.

"Oh. Okay, then. Well, see you."

I pecked him on the cheek and left the house. By now, I was even more excited and impatient to see Carlisle and the others. I don't think that I had ever been more eager to see anyone in my life!

**Carlisle's POV**

I was in my office reading a novel when there was a knock on the door.

"Carlisle?" I heard Alice shout.

"Yes, sweetie?" I called back to her.

"I just saw that your _girlfriend_ is coming for a visit. She's on her way right now!"

I rolled my eyes in annoyance at her playful tone. "Oh, really?" I inquired in a bored voice, as if I could care less that Isabella was coming to see us.

Of course, that was not true. If anything, I was excited, and I longed to kiss her again.

She laughed. I could tell that she knew that I was hiding my true feelings. "Yes, really. I figured that I ought to let you know, in case you want to run outside like a madman and meet her in the driveway," she joked.

I hated it when she or my other children teased me like this sometimes.

"Thank you very much," I remarked sarcastically. "I will be down there in due time."

"All right. You're welcome."

Rolling my eyes again, I turned to the next page of my book.

Twenty-five minutes passed before I heard the roar of Isabella's truck engine. I had to focus on keeping myself still as I heard the vehicle approaching; I was even more jittery than ever.

When Isabella finally pulled up in front of the house, I nearly flew out of my chair. I knew that I had to calm down, so I stayed in my seat. I didn't want to frighten her in the wild, frenzied state that I was in.

But I would definitely see her soon.

**Bella's POV**

I stepped out of my Chevrolet and walked over to the mansion. I noticed that there weren't any lights on as I drew closer to the front door. Was anyone home? Maybe I should have called them first.

Deciding that it would hurt to find out, I knocked on the door loudly. To my great relief, Jasper came to open it a minute later.

"Hello, Bella! You just can't get enough of us, can you? It seems like you are almost always here," he implied in a joking manner.

"Nope, I can't get enough of any of you," I responded with a smile.

He laughed while embracing me. "I'm only kiddin', Bella. You know that we are always happy to see you."

"I hope so. I don't want to wear out my welcome. Let me know when I do."

"Will do, but I don't think that that will ever happen."

I followed him upstairs, to the living room, as usual. Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, and Edward glanced at us as we approached them.

"Hey, everyone. Look who's here!" Jasper proclaimed.

They beamed as they came over to hug me. We all said hello to each other, then grew quiet.

I noticed that they were dressed very plainly today as we sat down. All of them were wearing T-shirts with jackets and sneakers, just like I was. Usually, they were wearing clothes that suggested that they were going to a modeling shoot.

My curiosity soon got the better of me, so I decided to ask, "I see that you are all wearing the same kind of outfit. Are you guys doing anything special?"

"Yes. We are actually about to go for a hike in the woods in about a half hour. We wasn't going to be out for long, only about a couple of hours," Rosalie explained.

"Oh. I'm sorry that I didn't call and let you know that I was coming, then. I would have just stay home. I don't want to intrude on your family time."

She waved her hand. "Don't worry about it, Bella. It's all right. We don't mind your visiting us. Why don't you come along? It will be fun."

I made a face. "I'm not sure if that will be a good idea. As clumsy as I am, I'll probably trip and crack my head on a boulder."

"Nonsense!" Emmett piped up. "You are _not_ clumsy. But since you're afraid of falling, we will just make sure that you don't. That's all. We have your back."

All I could do was laugh. "Thanks."

For a greater part of the next fifteen minutes, we mostly just talked about my date with Carlisle. The TV was on, but none of us paid much attention to it. I did not tell them that I snapped on him, or that we talked about my egg donor. But I told them about everything else that happened.

"Wow, Bella! It sounds like you and Dad had more than a nice time!" Alice stated.

"Yeah, we did," I agreed with a smile.

I had just finished telling them everything when she glanced at the clock. "Hey, Bella. Could you go ask Dad if he would like to go hiking with us? He might want to come. He's upstairs on the third floor in his office, the first door to your right."

Blinking in confusion, I queried, "Why can't you ask him? You're the one who wants to know if he would like to come with us."

She grinned slyly. "Because I know that the main reason why you came here must have been to see _him_. So go and see him. You know you want to."

When I glared at her, she just winked back. I stood up and marched away in a huff.

I found the door to Carlisle's office easily. "Come in," a musical voice declared after I knocked.

I opened the door to find him sitting behind his desk. He looked up as I entered the room. A bright smile lit up his face.

"Good morning, Isabella. I thought that I heard your truck outside. I wasn't expecting you to visit us today, but I am pleased that you had decided to. How are you?" he inquired, walking over to me.

"Not bad. I came because there's nothing to do at home. I figured that I would come over if it was okay. It is, isn't it?" I asked, feeling rather unsure that I should have taken liberties all of a sudden. This was his house, after all.

He kissed me on the cheek. The skin burned where his lips touched it. "Of course it is, my dear. I have no problem with you coming over to see us. I am always happy to see you, and so are my children. Was there something that you wanted?"

Chuckling, I responded, "Well, it's not really what _I_ want, Carlisle. It's what your kids want. You see, we are all going hiking for a couple of hours. Alice wants me to ask you if you would like to come with us."

Carlisle beamed. "I would actually like that. It has been quite a while since I had spent time with them. Let me put my book away, and then we will join them."

"Okay."

He went back over to his desk and bookmarked a page in his novel. Then he put it on a shelf before coming back to me. "Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

"Well then, by all means," Carlisle said, gesturing towards the door. "After you, my lady."

I laughed as he followed me out of the room. "You are too charming for words," I commented.

"Thank you. I'm pleased that you think I am."

I was just about to head for the stairs when he turned me around to face him.

"Hold on a second, Isabella. Come over here with me," he whispered, pushing me gently over to the opposite wall.

"Carlisle, w-what are you doing?" I asked nervously.

He had never done anything like this before. It wasn't that I thought that he would hurt me. It was just that I still wasn't use to being touched by people that I barely knew.

Not that I minded it when Carlisle touched me. I liked it when he held my hand, after all. Still, his actions made me feel on edge when I wasn't sure about what he was going to do.

Grinning as if he knew what I was thinking, he replied, "I only wanted to give you another kiss. I wasn't going to harm you."

"Oh," I mumbled, relaxing when I saw that he was being truthful. "All right. But your kids are waiting for you."

He chuckled softly while trailing a finger down the side of my face. "I am sure that it wouldn't hurt them to wait a few more minutes."

And with that, he leaned down to place his lips on mine. I laid my hands on his shoulders as I kissed him back. When he darted his tongue in my mouth, I groaned at how sweet it tasted. His hypnotizing scent made me feel a bit dizzy. I pressed myself into him as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

When I started to run out of breath, Carlisle moved away. He took my hand with a smile and led me back downstairs.

Edward scowled at us as we stepped in the family room. "We were wondering where you two were. What took you so long?"

"Isabella and I were just talking," was all Carlisle would tell him.

He narrowed his eyes at us. "Right," he said, clearly not believing him. However, he let it go.

"Bella?" I heard Alice call to me.

I glanced at her. "Yes?"

She held out a large insulated bag. "I made two sandwiches for you, in case you get hungry during our hike. I also threw in some snacks and a four bottles of water."

"Thank you. But you really didn't have to do that, you know," I added, touched by her generosity.

Waving her hand, she said, "I wanted to. Here...you can carry the bag if you want."

"Thank you."

I reached for the bag, but Carlisle moved to take it instead.

"You don't have to do carry it for me. I'm not weak, even though I know that I'm skinny," I pointed out as he slung the bag over his shoulder.

He smirked at me. "I am just being a gentleman, sweetheart. I am not trying to make you feel weak by doing things for you," he implied. Then he turned to the others. "Are we ready to go?"

They nodded. "Yes."

"All right, then. Let's go."

Everyone chattered excitedly as we left the house. We cut across the backyard to a forest trail-head going east.

Carlisle slid his arm across my shoulders as we followed his children into the woods. I found myself leaning into him while looking down to make sure that I wouldn't trip over anything. I felt good to be close to him again.

The air smelled fresh from the day before yesterday's storm. Among the trees were bushes and flowers. There was also a wide stream that ran next to the trail. The water was more clear than the waters I had seen in other streams and brooks.

"I keep forgetting how beautiful the woods are here around Forks," I mumbled to no one in particular.

"Really?" Carlisle asked with interest.

"Yeah. Charlie and I would go hiking or fishing sometimes when I visited. But since I use to see him for only a few weeks out of the year, we didn't do either very often. He was mostly too busy with his job to take me anywhere much."

He bobbed his head in understanding. "Well, I can imagine that his work is cut out for him, being a police officer."

"It sure is. I wish that he didn't have to work so much sometimes. We want to spend more time together, but because of the circumstances that be, we rarely can."

Patting my back, he assured me, "You two will find time. Trust me. What about your mother? Did she like to go hiking too?"

I just managed to prevent myself from scowling. Why did he have to bring her up? Couldn't he tell that I didn't like to talk about her?

"Not really. She's too afraid of bugs and wildlife to care for it," I replied tonelessly.

"Ah. I see. Many people are afraid of one or the other, or both. She isn't the only one."

I shrugged. "I guess so."

He must have noticed then that I was not in the mood to discuss anything more about my egg donor. He just tightened his hold on me a little as we strolled deeper into the woods.

**Carlisle's POV**

Isabella kept a rather moody silence as we continue our hike. Was she angry with me because I had asked about her mother again? I hoped that she wasn't. I did not know how I could possible take it if she was.

Feeling that I should set things right, I murmured, "I apologize if I had offended you, Isabella. I really do not mean to be so nosy."

Her expression brighten at last. "It's okay, Carlisle. I'm sure that you don't. Like you said last night, you are just curious. But for the record, can you not mention my e...my mother too much anymore? We kind of parted ways on the wrong foot, and I'm still upset about what happened."

Wanting to ask why, but knowing better than to do so, I simply nodded. But more and more, I was starting to receive the impression that Isabella did not like her mother very much. "Of course I can. Your wish is my command."

"Oh, Carlisle. You are so _corny_," she giggled. I laughed with her.

Pretty soon, the trail split into three paths. One of them went straight ahead, one went to the left, and the other to the right. None of us wanted to explore them altogether. Edward complained that it would take too much time.

I came up with an idea. "Why don't we choose to follow one separately? Emmett and Rosalie are closer to the straight path. They could go down that one. Alice, Jasper, and Edward...you can take that path going right. Isabella and I will take the path he going left. Unless you have something else in mind?" I added.

"No, that's fine," Jasper remarked.

"When do you want us to meet you back here?" Emmett queried.

Thinking it over, I replied, "In about forty-five minutes. But don't go too far. I don't want any of you to get lost."

Rosalie grinned. "You don't have to worry about that, Carlisle. You know that we know our way around."

I smiled back. "I know, but still. Just do what I ask you to do so that I can have some peace of mind."

My children rolled their eyes in mild exasperation. Isabella chuckled.

"Okay, Dad. We will see you soon," Alice declared.

"All right. Be careful, everyone," I admonished, wagging my finger.

They rolled their eyes once more, then waved and went their separate ways.

I turned to Isabella. "Let's go and see what is down this path, shall we?"

"Sure," she responded.

We headed down the trail and found ourselves in a clearing minutes later. It was mostly full of bracken and weeds. However, there was a small, glassy pond in the middle of it. Next to it was a fallen tree.

"This is so beautiful," Isabella whispered. Her eyes took everything in in fascination. "I've never seen anything like this outside of a movie."

I caressed her cheek. "This is a very beautiful place," I agreed. "Of course, it will never compare to how beautiful _you_ are. Would you like to stay here and take a look around?"

She inclined her head while her face turned scarlet. "Yes, please...unless you want to see what else there is to see?"

_Always so considerate of people other than herself_, I thought to myself. I kissed her on the lips. "Go ahead and enjoy yourself, my dear. Have some fun."

Grinning widely, she made her way to the center of the clearing.

**Bella's POV**

Being careful not to fall, I half-ran to the pond. That was the first thing that I desired to check out. Carlisle held my hand gently as he followed after me.

Once we had reached it, I knelt down to stare at the gleaming water in captivation. My reflection wavered in it.

Carlisle's suddenly appeared next to mine. It smiled, then gazed at me. "We look good together," he said in a low voice.

I nodded in agreement. "Yes, we do." Then I looked at our reflections more closely. "It's almost as if...as if we belonged to one another. How curious."

"Mmm."

My legs grew tired from me putting pressure on it after a moment. I stood up to give them some relief. "Why don't we see if there is anything more to this clearing than meets the eye?"

"We can do whatever you wish to do. Lead the way, sweetheart."

There were times when I seriously had no idea of how to react to his kindness. However, I simply did what he requested me to do.

Honestly, there really was nothing spectacular about the clearing other than the pond. I was about to suggest that we go further down the path when a mockingbird lit on a branch and chirped at us.

With a smile, I tiptoed over to it as slowly as I could. I cupped my hands over my mouth and twittered back to it.

Carlisle gaped at me in wonder and admiration. "How...how did you learn how to do that?" he breathed.

I laughed lowly. "Charlie taught me a few summers ago. I practiced for hours to get it right."

"I'm sure that you did," he snickered. "How many bird calls are you able to do? I heard once that your father knows how to do a good number of them."

"Yes, he can. I should know; he taught me how to do every one that he knew how to do."

He crossed his arms. "I bet that you don't know how to imitate the robin from _The Secret Garden_."

I rose an eyebrow at his challenge. "Which version?"

"The 1993 version."

Smirking, I brought my hands to my mouth. His eyes all but fell out of his head when I proved him wrong.

"Wow, Isabella. That is truly amazing," he commented in awe.

"Thank you," I whispered, peering at my shoes to hide my reddening face.

Over the next twenty-five minutes, we strolled down the other path. We did not get far when Carlisle said that it was about time that we headed back to the fork in the trail. We had to meet up with his children.

All of them were waiting for us at the aforementioned location when we got there. They greeted us with enthusiasm. As we made our way back to their house, we told one another about the discoveries that we had made. When Carlisle told them about my bird-calling abilities, they were very impressed.

"Why don't you show us, Bella?" Alice implored, bouncing up and down in excitement.

I was going to say no at first, uncomfortably aware that everybody was staring at me. I felt shy at all the attention.

However, she saw that I was about to refuse and jutted out her bottom lip. "Please, Bella?" she begged.

I relented with a sigh and nodded. "Okay, but I will only do one bird-call," I remarked.

Everyone's jaw dropped when I did an imitation of a hummingbird. They applauded afterwards, making me feel shy all over again.

"Oh, my God, that was wonderful! I would never have thought that you could do something like that!" Rosalie exclaimed.

"Me neither! That _was_ cool!" Emmett added.

"Yeah!" Jasper agreed.

Edward did not say anything, but he did not have to. His smile told me that he was also spellbound by what I had done.

We had just made it to the edge of the woods when an extremely bizarre phenomenon occurred.

The sun had somehow managed to break through the clouds overhead. It was nice to see it, and to feel its warmth on my face. I haven't ever since I had left Phoenix.

That was when I heard a gasp and Alice cry out in horror, "Oh, _no_!"

I pivoted, thinking that something was wrong. And what I saw then stunned me into immobilization.

Carlisle and his children were _sparkling_! It looked as if millions of diamonds or crystals were ingrained into their skins! I couldn't even begin to make sense of it...why were they _sparkling_?!

"WHAT THE...WHAT THE HELL?!" I shouted at the top of my lungs in disbelief.

My shock got the best of me then. I was so startled that I began to hyperventilate. Carlisle tried frantically to encourage me to take deep breaths, but it didn't work. I soon became dizzy, and the next thing I knew, darkness surrounded me as I crumpled to the ground.

**Carlisle's POV**

I quickly gathered Isabella up in my arms before turning to Alice. "Why didn't you tell me that the sun was about to come out?" I demanded.

She looked apologetic. "I didn't have a vision that it would until it was too late. We were all having so much fun that I was distracted. I'm sorry," she replied in a guilty voice.

"Don't be, sweetheart. It's not your fault," I assured her.

I really could not blame her for what happened in this case. Her gift did not always work so well, but we couldn't get bent out of shape about it. She was not perfect, and nor was anyone else. Well, except Isabella. At least, to me she was.

"Well," I sighed in resignation. "Let's get Isabella to the house, so that I can revive her. When she wakes up, I have might as well give her something for shock. One, because she will still be freaked out about what she has just seen. Two, because she is going to want an explanation for it. She deserves one...after all, she _was_ going to find out about what we are eventually. And when I do tell her everything, there will be no knowing how she will react."

(A/N: **PLEASE REVIEW!** What did you think of that?)


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